© 2004 Besser Company. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may bereproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical,including photocopying, recording or any information storage and retrieval systemrelating to all or part of the text or photographs without first obtaining writtenpermission from Besser Company.

By Otto Stephan; edited by Jennifer Walterreit.

ISBN

US $49.50

Printed in the U.S.A.

1 CHAPTER ONEIn the Beginning

8 CHAPTER TWOBesser ManufacturingCompany is Born

35 CHAPTER THREEExpanding Globally

47 CHAPTER FOURProduct Line Growth

62 CHAPTER FIVEThe Future

100 YEARS OF INSPIRING INNOVATION

The contents of this book are arranged in chronological orderwherever possible. However, some events are presented outof sequence if they help explain the topic being discussed.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This 100th Anniversary book is the brainchild of Jim Park, Besser chairman and CEO, who believes

that it is important to chronicle, preserve and celebrate Besser history. Jim entrusted Terri Rondeau,

director of corporate communications, with the multi-faceted role of project coordinator, and enlisted

the help of Besser retiree Otto Stephan to gather the information needed for this book.

Our heartfelt gratitude goes to Otto who painstakingly documented and researched the information

captured in this commemorative book. He retired from Besser in 1994 after a rewarding 38-year

career in the advertising department where he kept abreast of company activities while successfully

completing projects as varied as co-op literature creation, trade show planning, and editing both the

company newsletter, News & Views, and the company magazine Besser Block. Otto has worked

diligently over the past several years pulling all the pieces together so that this book could be written on

our 100th Anniversary. Throughout one summer, Otto worked with intern Erica Seguin to compile

the outline for the book and began researching the facts. Along the way, assistance was also sought

from Alpena Community College, The Alpena News and the Jesse Besser Museum.

Every Besser employee over the past 100 years has contributed to the success of the company,

although they are not all mentioned by name in this book. The names and circumstances shared in

this book represent some of the most significant milestones that shaped Besser Company into the

company it is today.

Industrial Image, Inc. of Alpena is responsible for the appearance of this book. Jenni Walterreit edited

Otto’s manuscript utilizing her insightful copywriting techniques. The creative graphic design talents

of Jean Thomas and Eileen Wegmeyer have created this unique layout. Village Press, Inc. of Traverse

City, Michigan, who has printed Besser materials since the late 1970s, published the book.

FORWARDIn Herman Besser’s native German language, “Besser” translates to mean

“Better”, appropriate because improving machines to make them better was his

innovative son Jesse’s lifelong passion. It is fitting that Jesse Besser used concrete as a

vehicle for his work, because concrete and Besser Company share a common trait: the

only limits lie in the constraints of human imagination.

From humble beginnings Besser Company has emerged with a focused vision and

a dedication unmatched in the industry. Each product supplied by Besser Company

demonstrates ingenuity, flexibility and careful attention to quality. No matter where in

the world our employees are based, the goal remains the same: to provide the best

systems, services and parts to concrete products producers around the globe.

The success of Besser today is built upon the successes of our past. The vision for

the future, the persistence for perfection and the innovation for our customers that Jesse

Besser brought to the table years ago remain a vital part of the Besser culture today.

Herman Besser

Jesse H. Besser

2

Herman’s dream of America was to work

under the towering pines and oaks that blanketed

the upper Midwest, as the trees in the eastern

states had already been significantly thinned.

Hearing a great deal about the booming

lumber industry in northern Michigan, he

made several trips to the area to investigate.

He also was hoping to farm, and upon

discovering that both farming and

lumbering were viable in Michigan, the

decision was made.

Herman returned to Buffalo and

promptly bought a team of horses as well as

logging and farming equipment. All this was

shipped to Gaylord, Michigan via Michigan

Central Railroad, and

Herman decided to travel with it.

Hattie followed a short time later by passenger train with

baby Jesse and from Gaylord the family traveled to

Hillman by horse and wagon. They lived with friends

while Herman found and purchased 240 acres of land

four miles south of Hillman in Rust Township,

Montmorency County. The property had been owned

by Charlie Richardson, who was also the owner of the

Ninth Street Dam in Alpena.

The forests in those days were vast beyond what one

might comprehend today. On his first day in the woods,

the trees were so thick that Herman had to take his wagon

apart in order to turn it around. However, with

determination, Herman quickly cleared an area and built

Never satisfied with theoperation of commercial machines,Herman worked constantly to developnew hunting traps. He would soon discoverthis inventive trait was one his son Jesse inherited.

Herman,Hattie and Jesse.

Hillman farm in Rust Township.

Log jam on Thunder Bay River in the 1880s.

3

a small frame house. By the time Hattie and Jesse moved in, Herman was already busy

clearing the forest for farmland, using a Hawkeye Grub and Stump Machine from

Illinois to help speed the work. As soon as he was old enough to do so, Jesse jumped in

and helped clear the fields.

In the 1800s “timber cruisers” were raking in big profits, surveying stands of timber

to estimate the number of board feet. Herman discovered he had quite a talent for this

work, so after he planted crops, he went to work in the woods as a professional timber

cruiser. His amazingly accurate estimates made it possible for him to bid low enough to

win a deal, yet high enough to yield handsome profits—both for himself and for the

property owner. After he won a bid, he’d hire lumberjacks to chop down the trees, cut

and trim them into logs, then float them down the Thunder Bay River, to the Alpena

sawmills at the mouth of the river.

Fur trapping was another popular industry in

the northern states during this time period. Pelts

that sailed down Lake Huron from northern

Michigan to warehouses in Detroit, Michigan,

were processed in Montreal, Canada and New

York and then were shipped to Europe. Herman

spent many winters (including his last on earth)

trapping otter, beaver and muskrat, which were

plentiful in along the Thunder Bay River. Never

satisfied with the operation of commercial

machines, Herman worked constantly to develop

new hunting traps. He would soon discover this

inventive trait was one his son Jesse inherited.

Logging days on the Thunder Bay River.

4

In the meantime, the Besser family was growing. Hattie gave birth to Walter on

8 March 1887. Five years later, on 14 May 1892, Hermione was born. By that

time, Jesse was old enough for school. Herman

cut a path through the forest to Niergarth School,

a one-room log cabin three-fourths of a mile from

his house. On his first day of school, Hattie

walked with him to be sure he knew the way, and

after that it was up to Jesse. The schoolroom had

a stove in the center, a water bucket and dipper in

a corner and a pump out in the yard. A good

pupil, Jesse wrote a composition on 19 December 1891

in which he declared, “It is five days before

Christmas…And I wonder what I will get. Last year I

got a drawing slate, a mouthorgan and some marbles. I

do not think there will be very good sleighing on

Christmas, unless it snows some more.”

From early on, Jesse had the responsibility of regular

chores, including bringing the cow home, doing the

milking, feeding the horses and cutting and piling stove

wood. When he grew old enough to have a bicycle, his

father relied on him to run errands and carry messages to

the farmers up and down the country roads. Jesse had the

second bike in the county; the first belonged to the

postman. And when his father was out in the woods for

weeks at a time, Jesse was also responsible for keeping the

books for the farm and running the household (with his

mother in the background, of course). It is remarkable to

compare this ten-year-old Jesse Besser to ten-year-olds

today!

Jesse, Hermione and Walter Besser.

Herman in front of theBesser-Churchill Company.

5

THE MOVE TO ALPENAIn 1890, twelve lumber mills and five shingle mills

were operating in Alpena. But by 1893, the Alberta

Pack Mill bought its first raft of logs from the Georgian

Bay region as lumber had begun to thin in Michigan.

Three years later, the timber business had declined to less

than half of just a few years prior. Herman realized his

timber cruising days were coming to an end and decided

to embark on a new career. In 1897, Herman

established the Besser-Churchill Company. This sawmill

was located on the banks of the Thunder Bay River

where Van Lare Hall of Alpena Community College now

stands. The mill manufactured wooden shingles and

three types of barrel staves: nail keg, large barrel for

holding sugar or flour and tight cooperage for holding

liquids. With the success of the sawmill, Herman sold

the Hillman farm in January 1898 and moved

his family thirty miles east to Alpena. Jesse

wrote in his diary dated 13 February 1898:

“We moved down here, to Alpena, on the

third day of January 1898, having sold the

farm in Hillman to Joseph Kurtz. I started at

the Central School on17 January in the eighth

grade.”

The old Besser-Churchill Company where Jesse Besser first worked, located on the banks of the Thunder Bay River.

The first boy he met wasFred Trelfa and theyimmediatelysparked a friendshipthat would lastthe rest of their lives.

Jesse H. Besser atage 15.

6

The Besser family

lived in a simple frame

house on the corner of

White Street and

Second Avenue,

directly across from

Central High School.

Incidentally, that

school, built in 1891,

burned to the ground in

1940. The city then

rebuilt the building

with concrete and it served as Alpena High School and subsequently Thunder Bay

Junior High before being torn down in 1999.

In September 1898, sixteen-year-old Jesse enrolled in the ninth grade Latin

Section at Central High,

right across the street from

his house. The first boy he

met was Fred Trelfa and they

immediately sparked a

friendship that would last the

rest of their lives. That

November, under the

supervision of school

librarian Emily Oliver, Jesse

and four classmates

organized a school-wide debate team. Jesse served as

president and modeled the sessions after the United

States House of Representatives. The club was so

successful that apparently it made the older classes

jealous. In fact, Jesse recalled an envious upperclassman

remarking, “The freshmen are always trying to run things

around here.” Little did they know that the leadership

and innovation of that freshman would someday expand

beyond the school walls and resuscitate a dying town.

Jesse easily managed not only his high school load

which included his duties as class treasurer, but also

courses at Alpena Business College in downtown

Alpena. At home Jesse helped his parents with chores

around the house in addition to working in his father’s

sawmill. It was at this early stage of his life that Jesse

Central High School.

View of the Ninth Street Dam.The Besser mill is in the center

of the background with threesmoke stacks.

7

learned from his parents the basic values that would

shape his life. Integrity, honesty and fair treatment of

people became a part of his being. He learned in the

marketplace that quality equipment is essential and that

the end products manufactured should be economical to

produce, durable and aesthetically pleasing.

As if that weren’t enough, Jesse also attended

numerous special events around town. Jesse sat in on

lectures at the Opera House on Chisholm Street,

commencement activities for the 1898 graduating class,

and the farewell reception for Captain Will Prince and

his company of Michigan National Guard being sent off

to the Spanish-American War. He writes in his journal

dated 21 April 1898: “War commenced between the

U.S. and Spain. When the news reached here, cannons

began to boom, bells to ring, people to shout, flags to

appear, and Alpena seemed able to lick Spain alone just

now.”

ALPENA PORTLAND CEMENTIn 1899, Andrew Carnegie monopolized the steel

industry and the gold rush had pushed north to Alaska’s

shoreline, yielding the richest tidewater diggings ever

found. American industries eagerly tapped into the

abundant array of natural resources—steel, coal, gold and

other minerals — the supply of which appeared

unlimited. As these other industries burgeoned, they

further diminished the lumber demand.

Herman and Jesse were taking note of the changing

times. The logging industry had been thriving, such that

by 1889 the volume soared to almost 220 million board

feet a year. But by the late 1890s exports had dropped

by half and continued to plummet. The local forests,

once filled with virgin pine, oak and cedar, were exhausted from over-harvesting, so the

Alpena mills had to process trees shipped from Canada to keep operating. Faced with

the demise of a town built upon the failing fur and lumber industries, Herman Besser

teamed up with Alpena’s great lumber barons Frank W. Fletcher, William B.

Comstock, George J. Robinson, William H. Monaghan and Michael O’Brian to

capitalize on another great natural resource of the area: limestone. On 3 August 1899

the Alpena Portland Cement Company was organized for, “Mining, manufacturing

and dealing in Portland cement and other kindred mineral products.” Capital stock

was set at $300,000 with 30,000 shares at a par value of $10 each.

Located just behind the present Lafarge Corporation site, construction of the

plant began in the fall of 1899 and the manufacturing of cement followed in 1902.

Postcard featuring the HuronPortland Cement Company.

8

9

THE HAND TAMPBLOCK MACHINE

Though he had worked to

improve the original machine, Jesse

immediately discovered two main

problems with the newer hand tamp

machine. First, the blockmaking

procedure was backbreaking labor.

Three strong men working a

10-hour-day could make just 200

block. Second, each block required

an individual cored pallet, which

could not be reused until the block

had cured. These pallets were

expensive and limited the machine’s

output. But even with those weak

points Herman and Jesse knew it

was a substantial improvement from

the original machine. So Jesse’s

challenge was another level of

improvement to the machine, something that would remain a

passion his entire life even as the machines became more

and more advanced.

Local cement demands indicated a large market for

concrete products and likewise a market for a block machine.

In 1904, they also purchased the Charles B. Warren

Foundry and Machine Shop on the corner of Merchant

and Oldfield Streets to serve their dual need for both iron

and manufacturing space. Besser Manufacturing Company

was born.

The first machine was sold to John Nagy Sr. of

Columbia Concrete Products in Toledo, Ohio. Each

machine sold was shipped by railroad and Jesse personally

visited the plant and taught the workers how to operate it.

Soon Herman and Jesse

hired their first full-time

employee, Chester C.

Keegan, in 1904. He

worked as a machinist and

after just one year with

Besser, Chester moved to

Bay City, Michigan where

he earned a degree in

engineering and afterward

took a job in the automotive

industry.

Besser drying shed and mill, 10 March 1903.

10

ANNA MILLER MULVENAThough busier than ever before,

between school and work Jesse somehow

found time for a personal life. On 30

August 1906, he married Anna

Miller Mulvena in her parents’

home at 232 S. First Avenue, the

same site where the couple would

build a complete concrete masonry

home in 1938. Anna was the

same age as Jesse, born 19

September 1882, to parents David

and Martha Mulvena of Alpena.

Soft-spoken and plain, she was a

perfect companion for Jesse.

Anna’s family took great interest in

the concrete block machine manufacturing

business and this pleased Jesse to the extent that

when it came time to announce a successor for his company and life-long

dream, he chose her nephew, Philip Mulvena Park, son of Anna's sister

Mae and Charles T. Park. Anna’s older sister, Elizabeth Mulvena

Rogers, was close to Anna and Jesse as well. In fact, Elizabeth lived on

the second floor of the Besser house on First Avenue and would also

accompany Anna and Jesse on trips. This arrangement worked out

nicely as Jesse was so intensely involved in his business he tended to

neglect his wife, which allowed Elizabeth to provide company for Anna

in that big house on First Street.

ALPENA PORTLAND CEMENTCLOSES ITS DOORS

By 1907, Besser Manufacturing Company had

grown to employ 20 full-time people. Jesse devoted

himself to the continual development of the concrete block

machine, while Herman was still highly

involved with the Alpena Portland

Cement Company, having been just

that year elected president.

However, it was also in 1907

that Huron Portland Cement,

which had been in operation

since 1901, began cement

production. The competition

suffocated Alpena Portland

Cement and forced it to close

in 1909. Huron Portland

Anna was the same age as Jesse,born 19 September 1882, to parentsDavid and Martha Mulvena of Alpena.Soft-spoken and plain, she was a perfectcompanion for Jesse.

Anna M. Besser

What’s the DifferenceBetween Concrete and

Cement?Some people may think these two terms describe the same thing, but

they do not. Concrete is a mixture in which cement is an important

ingredient. Concrete is composed of air, cement, gravel or crushed stone,

sand and water. It starts as a fine gray powder and turns into paste when

water is added. When this paste dries, it’s hard as a rock. Adding sand

and stone give it more durability and density. Portland cement is a

general term for the generic type of cement used in 95% of all concrete (in

the same way that sterling is a type of silver). Many people make the

comparison to flour and bread; flour is the cement and concrete is the

bread.

Jesse H. Besser

11

THE MODERNIZEDHAND TAMP

When Alpena Portland Cement

Company closed, Herman focused his

attention entirely on Besser

Manufacturing Company. He managed

the office affairs as president of the company while Jesse served as head

engineer and salesman, developing the machine and promoting it to

potential customers. Jesse released a modernized simple hand tamp

machine and system to make block in 1909. It boasted a

self-discharging concrete mixer, a skip loader to deliver the

material into the mixer and power tamping of the molds.

Production reached 600 block per ten-hour day, and block

size was reduced to 8 x 8 x 16 inches with three cores. Now

the block was easier to produce, the smaller size required less

manpower and since it was modular, the design of buildings

was made simpler.

Besser Manufacturing Company purchased the bankrupt

Alpena Motor Car Company building on Johnson Street for

$5200 in 1913.

Alpena Motor Car Company was renowned for

producing the Alpena Flyer. Approximately 1000 cars were

produced in the company’s history and most were sold in

Buffalo, New York and St. Paul, Minnesota. Though Besser

Company never manufactured cars, this building was

considered one of the soundest

structures in Alpena at the time and

was an excellent investment property.

It still remains part of Besser

Company World Headquarters,

currently housing the engineering

and manufacturing offices

following extensive

remodeling in 1987.

AUTOMATICFACE-DOWN

MACHINEJesse was known for

working all day and into the

evening on his beloved block

machine designs. In fact, Jesse

was renowned in Alpena for his

unusual approach to learning

machinery. For instance, the owner

of the former Froggett Jewelry in

Alpena, Sam Froggett, relates that

A worker inside the Alpena Flyer machine shop.

“Alpena Flyer 1911 Models:Standard Touring, 4 or 5 passenger,

body optional. . .. . .The Greatest, Biggest and most

sensational actual values in the automobileworld for $1450. . .

. . . It is cheaper than a horse at any time.”

Cement soon became the largest cement

producer in the world and by 1910 was

producing over 900,000 barrels of

cement a year with six kilns. Lafarge

Corporation purchased the successor

company of Huron Portland Cement in

1986 and continues to operate in

Alpena.

12

many times Jesse would wander into their shop. He’d then sit and

watch the clocks with open housings for as long as six hours at a stretch,

learning how the gears interacted. Thanks to this kind of diligence,

Jesse continued to improve the machine and the Automatic Face-Down

Machine was unveiled in 1914. This model produced 1800 block per

ten-hour day, and though it still produced block one at a time, it

incorporated various design changes that made it easier to operate. As

a self-taught engineer, Jesse sincerely believed in basic mechanics. One

of these, the cam and lever, became his vision for block machinery.

Competitive companies were producing hydraulic versions that operated

more quietly than the Besser mechanical model, but Jesse stuck by his

guns. He knew that some customers preferred the less noisy machine,

but he firmly believed that the mechanical version was more durable and

offered more precise machine movement resulting in higher quality units

… and was made to far outlast competitive models.

AUTOMATIC PLAIN PALLET STRIPPERStill unfettered by the pressure to change to hydraulics, Besser

introduced the Automatic Plain Pallet Stripper in 1924. This was significant—the

most important development thus far, in fact—because it addressed one of the main

weaknesses Jesse had found with the original machine: the need for a separate pallet

for each machine. The Automatic Plain Pallet Stripper utilized a plain piece of steel

instead of a cored pallet for each shape and size of block. This coreless pallet greatly

reduced the inventory of steel pallets required to produce the product and the idle time

of waiting for pallets to become available. Customers were demanding a machine that

could produce block of various shapes and sizes, all of which could be produced on a

plain pallet using a suspended mold. Besser met the challenge with the added bonus

In April 1925, Herman Besserwas granted U.S. patent number1,534,353 for fractured block and methodof making the same. The patent also addressesthe method to split the cured unit —a splitter.

of eliminating

another process:

manually inserting

a different cored

pallet for each

block. Instead, the

pallet was raised to

meet the mold, the

block was formed,

and the stripper

head pushed the

product through the mold and the block was ejected.

Block production reached 3000 per ten-hour day and in

effect remained the standard in the industry for the next

ten years.

13

FAMILYPASSINGS

Jesse’s sister

Hermione died in August

1921 after a brief illness,

which was a tough blow

for Jesse. Then, in the

spring of 1926, an event

marked a somber ending

and a new beginning for

Besser Company.

Herman Besser passed

away on 12 March at age

73. Jesse and his father had worked side by side for years

and Herman had contributed much to the business during

his productive lifetime. He had been a partner with Jesse

in several equipment achievements: the Hand Tamp, the

Skip Loader, the Self Discharging

Mixer, Power Tamping and the

Automatic Plain Pallet

Stripper. With his father’s

death, Jesse took full control of Besser

Manufacturing Company, a position he was

both capable and ready to perform. Anna

stepped up to join him in leading management

at Besser Company, personally managing and

distributing payroll, handling all incoming and

outgoing mail and secretarial responsibilities.

EXPANDINGWord began to spread throughout the

country regarding Besser machines. Demand

finally rose to the point where Jesse needed to

hire more people. A good judge of character,

he would personally interview and hire each employee. His first priority was to

enhance the engineering department, and he did so with Fred Scheffler, brothers Elroy

and Erwin Bobolts and Lorne Brooks. Elroy Bobolts was later promoted to vice

president of engineering. He had worked in sales and was a lead figure in obtaining

Army & Navy contracts during World War II. Erwin left engineering for the shop,

where he worked as foreman until his retirement.

Jesse craved to return to his main passion: working, tweaking, improving and

upgrading the block machine. He’d become so busy traveling and promoting

equipment he didn’t have time to do what he enjoyed most. So he began to hire

salesmen around the country. They’d sell on a commission basis until earning Jesse’s

confidence and then he would put them on the payroll.

ABOUT JESSE BESSERA tall, lean man, Jesse Besser cut an intimidating figure, standing six-four in his

simple clean suits. An expert in efficiency, he expected the same in others. Naturally

curious, he would challenge and question minute details. That imposing stature and

inner drive for perfection was compensated by a quiet and patient nature; Jesse spoke

little but when he did, it was always with sincerity. Meeting him, it was easy to guess

that among his core values were patience and perseverance, perhaps sprung from the

deep faith he and Anna shared. His personal Bible was pencil-marked with favorite

passages by which the couple clearly lived. The inside front cover of most books in his

Besser Company 1929 engineering staff. Jesse is the second from the left.

Hattie, Hermioneand Herman

Besser.

14

personal library were penciled with

notations on topics of particular interest,

referencing the page number where

information could be found.

Never moved to anger, Jess (as he

was called by his friends and fellow

Rotarians) approached the difficulties in

life with calmness.

The Bessers were famous teetotalers.

At company gatherings, if alcohol was

served it was promptly hidden when the

announcement came that Mr. Besser had

arrived. On one interesting afternoon, he

received a case of scotch whiskey as a gift

to the company. Ardently opposed to

liquor, Jesse asked Ray Bailey to have the

yard crew take it to the city disposal area

and destroy the entire case. Ray was a

staff member who started in engineering

and soon moved up to vice president of

purchasing and played many key functions

in company growth. He also became a close and loyal friend to Jesse

and Anna. Ray also was called upon to play many roles, not all of them

traditional—as was the case when he ensured each and every whiskey

bottle was emptied onto the ground—much to the dismay of thirsty

onlookers!

Clearly Jesse was passionate about his beliefs, whether they

concerned alcohol, charities or—of course—Besser machinery.

Especially with his block machinery, he was a perfectionist, concerned

with every single detail. Jesse created a secret development area in the

middle of the shop floor specifically devoted to inventing a six-at-a-time

block machine. Helping him was a full-time shop worker, three

engineers and two draftsmen.

As with many great minds, Jesse used unorthodox methods to

The 1937 engineering staff, Jesse is seated at the desk on the far right.

15

generate ideas. Often he would call an employee into his office five

minutes before the end of the workday. He would ask the employee

to come in and sit with him. He would look out the window and

observe, “Well, say now, the smoke coming from the stacks on the

high school is blowing due south over my house.” That’s all he

would say, and then they would sit—often in total silence—for up to

an hour. When enough time had passed in his opinion, Jesse would

look at his watch and announce, “Well, say now, the women are

probably waiting supper for us. Guess that it’s time to leave.”

At first the workers found it strange and confusing to sit

through the awkward silence with no explanation. But after a few of

these meetings they came to realize he was inviting an opportunity to

brainstorm about ways to improve the block machine, sell additional

parts or promote the business in general. Jesse was open to all

opinions, patiently coaxing their thoughts as a trusted listener.

The story is told of the several hours he spent watching an

IBM card sorter drop key punched cards into pockets; his objective

“Better to Own a Besserthan Compete with One.”

—Besser Company advertising tag line

was to see if there was a similar convenient way to move the pallets

through a block machine.

Even though the Plain Pallet Stripper was a huge success and

satisfied customers continued to give terrific feedback regarding the

abilities of the new machine, Jesse was convinced he could find

improvements.

SYNCHRONIZATION WITH A CAMSHAFTIn 1929 he removed the standard “tamper dogs” (which held up the

tampers when they were not in use) and replaced them with cams. The

tampers were raised and dropped by cams operated by the same camshaft

that controlled the other movements of the machine. A single gear-driven

cam assured accurate, timed and automatic operation of everything: the

pallet feeding, feeding the concrete, start and stop of the tamping (and

later, vibration), striking off excess concrete, stripping the units through the

mold, and delivering finished units to the front of the machine for easy off-

bearing. The synchronization of all the parts keying from the movement

of the cam eliminated many errors, and this base design concept is still

utilized in many of the machines today.

Besser early advertising literature

16

THE GREAT DEPRESSIONIn 1924, the Federal Reserve Bank created over $500 million in new currency to

boost business growth. Other fiscal policies generated $4 billion that banks eagerly

loaned to prospective entrepreneurs. Heavy stock earnings and dividends on Wall

Street set the market at an all-time high. On 4 September 1929 the Dow Jones

Industrial peaked at 381 points. These soaring prices were the trend in what had

become a strong bull market, one that investors and economists expected to rise

infinitely. Yale University economist Irving Fisher proclaimed, “The nation is

marching along a permanently high plateau of prosperity.”

But by 3 October 1929, America teetered at the edge of that plateau. The Dow

Jones began to drop, and by day’s end on 29 October, it closed at 230 points.

Between 29 October and 13 November, stock prices hit their lowest marks on record

and $30 billion disappeared from the American economy. This was the dark

beginning of the Great Depression, that monumental decade that lasted ten years,

closed 86,000 businesses and left 25 percent of the American work force unemployed.

At Besser Company days were challenging, with payless paydays. Jesse went on the

road to make collections … and in 1929 travel was excruciatingly slow and difficult. A

trip from Alpena to Detroit took a full day by motorcar, and from there one had to catch

a train to Cleveland, Chicago, Pittsburgh or further to collect from customers. Yet

Besser Company survived.

PHILLIP MULVENA PARKIt was in 1933 — in the throes of the Great Depression — that Phillip Mulvena

Park, nephew to Jesse and Anna, went to work at Besser Company as a mechanic.

Born in Alpena on 23 March 1910 to Charles T. and Mae (Mulvena) Park, he

received his early education at Alpena Public Schools, and graduated from Detroit

Northwestern High School in 1927. After graduation he

attended Wayne State University. He was employed as

vice president of Consolidated Machinery Corp.,

manufacturers of concrete block machinery located in

Adrian, Michigan in 1930. That same year Besser

purchased the company. He then attended Olivet College

in Olivet, Michigan, graduating in 1932 with a Bachelor

of Arts in Business. He played basketball and football

while attending Olivet, which was part of the Michigan

Intercollegiate Athletic Association, and in 1931 received

recognition as the league’s outstanding tackle. Following

his graduation from college, he played professional

basketball for the Kellogg Company in the 1932-1933

season while employed with Vandevoort Sporting Goods

Supply.

The first challenge for Phil Park at Besser was

The shipment was arrangedby the Besser salesman in Wisconsin,J. Wesley Craighead, one of several Besserstaff members inducted in the Alpena AreaSports Hall of Fame (his plaque is seen at right). Phil Park at eight months old.

17

dealing with tough guy Erwin “The Bull” Bobolts. The

two locked horns often; more than once Phil steamed out

the back door to sit on the railroad tracks and cool off.

Another challenge was his job of pouring metal at the

foundry. Scalding hot metal in one’s work boots is surely

not a delightful situation but one he unfortunately

encountered fairly often—so he quickly learned to get

those boots off fast!

Those scenarios aside, he truly did enjoy the

business, and with Jesse guiding him, he quickly learned

the ropes. After several visits to Canada he developed a

special interest in international markets. Phil made the

first international sale for Besser Company to Eugenio

Mendoza in Caracas, Venezuela in 1937. The machine,

a K-12 tamper, was shipped by truck to Puerto Cabello to

build 300 low-cost houses for Dictator Gorney. In 1938,

Phil took his one-year-old son, Jim, to Latin America with

him, foreshadowing the life Jim would lead. Phil was

steadily promoted, as he moved from his initial job of

mechanic to sales representative, eventually to personnel

director, and to export manager at the time of the

Venezuela sale. He became vice president of Besser

Company in 1946.

Two people significant to the early development of

Besser Company were Mel Cruzen and Don McVicar.

Mel was hired in early 1936 to work nights on the drill

press, and two years later Jesse appointed him to manage

the Venezuelan block plant started by Phil. With Mel at

the helm, the plant produced enough block to build 500

homes in the area.

It was about this time in 1937 that Don McVicar,

freshly graduated from Alpena High School, took a job

with Besser Company as a materials handler in the shop.

His starting pay was 20 cents an hour, working ten-hour

In 1939 Jesse and Anna contracted Floyd Gagnon tobuild a concrete masonry home at 232 S. First Avenuein Alpena, a lot owned by Anna’s parents. The qualityof aggregate in the immediate Alpena area didn’t meetthe requirements for a new home, so a custom pinkishcolored block was made with special aggregatematerial shipped from Wisconsin.

days, six days a week … in those days a $12-a-week check was typical. After three

months in the shop, Jesse transferred Don to the accounting office. Don handled

accounts receivable and shipping bills for the company and learned typing skills from

the secretaries in the steno pool. The first to arrive in the morning and the last to leave

at night, Don swept the floors and lit the pot-bellied stove that was the only source of

heat for the office. Employees supplied their own coal. After serving in the armed

services from 1941 to 1946, Don returned to Besser. He joined the overseas sales

force, and later was promoted to export manager, replacing a senior salesman, Ralph

Bailey. After having shown good success, Ralph moved to California to open a district

office and warehouse facilities.

18

THE V3M: VIBRATION UNDERPRESSURE

By 1934, the Unitized Plain Pallet Stripper

was producing a fully pressed block with a highly

finished face. The machine was entirely transformed

from the first hand-tamper, which produced only

stone-faced block. Yet, perhaps the most important

change came in 1939 when Besser introduced

vibration under pressure to compact the concrete in the

mold.

Vibration was a revolutionary idea. In the past,

it was difficult, if not impossible, to remove all air

pockets from the concrete mix. Large hammer-like

tampers were formerly used to pound the air bubbles out of the concrete in the mold.

The new machine, called the V3M, was capable of producing three 8 x 8 x 16 inch

block at a time, increasing production to 5000 per 10-hour day as well as facilitating

the fast and efficient production of pilaster block, chimney block and floor filler block.

The first V3M was sold to Peturzo’s in Baltimore, Maryland. The second and third

went to companies in Cincinnati, Ohio and Omaha, Nebraska.

THE WAR YEARSBesser acquired war contracts in July 1941, with the help of

Elroy Bobolts as chief negotiator. This contract also landed

Elroy the position of vice president of Besser Manufacturing

Company. Following the bombing of Pearl Harbor on

7 December 1941, the United States joined the Allied

Forces in World War II. The war was credited with

ending the decade-long Depression because government

spending skyrocketed and most employable men were

drafted into the armed forces. The United States was

seemingly unprepared for the abrupt entrance into the war

and consequently had few resources to manufacture

weapons and war materials. The government turned to

privately owned companies with the means for such

production. Besser Manufacturing Company was one of

the few capable plants, among scores of applicants, who

vied for and won war contracts. Besser immediately

recognized this opportunity to increase local employment

and rebound from depression losses.

In order to accommodate the war contracts,

80 percent of the Besser shop area was devoted to

producing parts for the Navy, such as 50-caliber naval

guns, army guns and steam, gas and electric wrenches.

Luckily, a foundry had been built at the plant in 1940,

All employees wererequired to wear photo I.D. tagsand had to pass by security guard stationsat all entrances of the fenced-in areas. A flierproduced by Besser called the “Victory News”kept employees up-to-date on war efforts.

Besser Company, 1932, in the former Alpena Flyer building.

Issuedduring WWII.

Issued duringthe Korean

Conflict.

19

and the coke-fired furnaces were perfectly suited to producing war parts.

Those years were interesting times. Jesse personally interviewed

employees for the war department to ensure honest workers. A barbed wire

fence was erected that surrounded the entire property. All workers were

required to wear photo I.D. tags and had to pass by security guards stations at

all entrances of the fenced in areas. A flier produced by Besser called the

“Victory News” kept employees up-to-date on war efforts. From 1943 to

1945, during World War II, Phil Park was a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy

Reserve. Initially assigned to the purchasing division of the Bureau of

Ships of the U. S. Department of the Navy in Washington, D. C., he was

later an air combat intelligence officer in the Pacific Theater of Operations

before returning to Washington, where he became an assistant to Senator

Hugh Scott in 1945. Concurrently, he was attached to the office of the

secretary of the Navy.

World War II Ration StampsWhen the war began, the U.S. Government wanted

to save the best, most important products for the “boys”(servicemen overseas). To do this, local rationing

boards were set up all over the nation to limitwhat the civilian population could

buy. The first item to berationed was rubber in

December 1941. Otherproducts rationed included

tires, gasoline, certain cannedgoods, meat, butter and fats,sugar, dried foods, shoes andcoffee.

Guns manufactured by Besser Company during WWII.

Besser Company employees working on the breech mountfor 3" naval deck gun built during WWII.

20

UNITED CONSTRUCTION WORKERSLOCAL 404 UNION

The post-depression success of Besser Manufacturing

Company attracted the attention of more than just customers and

local citizens. In 1942, the United Construction Workers Local

404 Union formed in the shop. All hourly employees were members.

By the end of World War II, more than 12 million American workers

belonged to unions, and collective bargaining had taken hold throughout the

industrial economy. In August of that year, the Besser Manufacturing

Company and the City of Alpena joined forces to construct a water main

with over 2000 feet of pipe near Alpena’s north side. Besser and the City

split the cost, as part of a deal that required Besser to increase fire protection

at the plant. Later that year, a water tower was erected on Besser Company

property to further increase fire protection. The tower stood as a landmark

until 1994 when it was removed.

Besser engineers continued to make improvements to the machine,

and in 1944 increased block production to 6000 block per ten-hour-day.

The V3M set the standard for what block producers demanded. Pairing

the cam-controlled tampers with vibration created a machine that far

surpassed competitive hydraulic machines. Besser Manufacturing

Company remained in position as the world leader in concrete machinery.

BESSER FOUNDATIONJesse and Anna decided it was time to truly give back

to their community. After 40 years of sacrifices and

sweat, Besser Manufacturing Company was an

established, prosperous company. The couple was ready

to share their wealth, so the Besser Foundation was

The BesserManufactuingCompany watersphere stood over 130ft. tall and held100,000 gallons.

In August of 1942, theBesser Manufacturing Company andthe City of Alpena joined forces to constructa water main with over 2000 feet of pipe nearAlpena’s north side.

The First Congregational Church of Alpena as is looks today.

Jesse and Anna at theFirst Congregational

Church of Alpena.

21

ARMY/NAVY “E” AWARDBesser Company was bestowed the prestigious and

rare Army/Navy “E” award on 9 October 1945. The

award was given to only 5 percent of the industries engaged

in war work in order to serve as an expression of

appreciation from the military for a job well done.

World War II may have been over, but a new one was

brewing inside the company. On 19 July 1946, 400

employees went on strike at Besser Company. The strike

commenced widespread hostilities among plant employees and management. In order

to curtail the violence, liquor sales were suspended in Alpena for nearly one week.

Celebration in the Besser plant accepting the Army/Navy "E" award in 1945.

Army/NavyPennant

created in 1944, “To receive

and administer funds for

scientific, educational, religious

and charitable purposes, for all

the public welfare.” The first

Board of Trustees consisted of

Jesse Besser, Anna Besser and

Frederick C. Burnett, a trusted

administrative employee of the

company.

Besser Manufacturing

Company was growing rapidly

in both size and experience. It

did not take long for Alpena

residents to acclaim Besser

Manufacturing Company as the

premier employer in the area.

One of the many faithful

employees to enjoy their tenure

with Besser was Shirley

Johnson. Shirley came to work

for Besser on 4 September 1945. “I started the day after

Labor Day, and they paid me for the holiday, so I figured

it was a pretty good place to work.” During her career,

Shirley was secretary to Jesse, remaining on as secretary

to Jim Arbuckle, chief financial officer, after the deaths of

both Anna and Jesse. Shirley retired in February 2001

after over 55 years of service.

22

BESSER CLUBSWith strikes causing strife between hourly workers

and management, Besser Company recognized the need

for company-wide clubs that could unite workers in

common interests. Besser employees returning from

serving in the military liked the idea and suggested a

Besser Rifle League. When it began in 1946, nearly

every employee was a member. Currently, approximately

100 workers and their family members participate.

The following year, Jesse hired Ralph Michaud to

organize and conduct a Besser Male Chorus. What began

as just 12 voices swelled to 50 members with community

involvement and has earned state and national recognition.

The group sang at the inauguration of past Michigan

Governor George W. Romney, at the Mackinac Bridge

groundbreaking and dedication ceremonies, at Tiger

Stadium in Detroit, the grand opening ceremonies for the

World Center for Concrete Technology and Alpena

Cancer Center, in addition to hundreds of regular

performances.

Members of the Besser Rifle League enjoy a night of celebration at the10th annual banquet.

NATIONAL CONCRETE MASONRY ASSOCIATION(NCMA)

The National Industry Convention was formed in 1905 “to improvethe quality of concrete block.” This group didn’t survive but partly as ameans to retrieve some of the 1930s depression conditions and partly todevelop “fair competition,” the Concrete Masonry Association wasformed in 1933. Ben Wilk, a code authority on block, was namedpresident. This group also disappeared, but in November 1942, at ameeting in Detroit, Gene Olson of Stearns, Adrian, Michigan and JesseBesser each pledged $10,000 for a new budget and volunteered the use oftheir advertising managers to reformulate the trade association. Thetrade association office opened in Chicago in January 1943.

M.E. ‘Doc’ Rinker happened to be the chair in 1954 when the Alpenacommunity recognized the 50th Anniversary of Besser Company as well asthe 72nd anniversary of Jesse Besser’s birth. At a ceremonial dinnerwhere over 700 people were in attendance to help celebrate, ‘Doc’ said“We’re the people that buy Mr. Besser’s machines and make block. Mr.Besser’s success—of him being able to put out such a wonderful machineand make himself nationally and internationally famous—has been oursuccess and helped us to prosper.”

Walter Underwood became the first executive director in 1957. At theconvention in St. Louis, Missouri that year, the delegates heard FrankLloyd Wright discuss his love affair with concrete block.

With the departure of Walter Underwood in 1968, the innovativedirector of the Florida association, Paul Lenchuck, took over anddeveloped many successful educational and promotional programs for theassociation.

Prominent block producers took turns as the volunteer chairman ofthe board of NCMA. In 2003, Phil Potvin, president of Western Concrete,Cadillac, Michigan, was chairman. For 2004, Scott Weber of BasaliteConcrete Products, Dixon, California, serves as chairman.

23

Other sporting events sponsored by Besser Company

included a Saturday night bowling league of ten teams, a

golf league, and both softball and basketball teams in the

Alpena city leagues.

In 1947, shop workers dropped the United

Construction Workers Local 404 union, and changed to

Alpena Independent Workers Association No. 1 with 357

votes. Harold Mercer, the union president, and Joe

Pinson, head of the Besser personnel department, led

negotiations between Besser Company and union

representatives to reach a final agreement.

SHOULDICE MEETS BESSERNot only a brilliant engineer, Jesse was also a shrewd

financier who knew that a significant part of the success of

selling a machine was collecting the payments. Jesse

would not sell to any company—new or well established—

if he felt the potential customer could not afford the machine. It was not just the

financial status of the business he appraised, but also the demand for concrete block

within that area. Jesse actually researched his customers and the block user’s customers

to decide if the company had enough business to make payments.

Shouldice Designer Stone founder Bev Shouldice, of Ontario, Canada recalls his

story of purchasing a Besser block machine. Bev formed Shouldice Cement Products

Ltd. in 1947 to manufacture concrete products, and two years later expanded the

company to specialize in concrete block. His successful company quickly forced smaller

competitors out of business, and eventually the local demand required more block than

his machines could produce. In order to fulfill orders, Bev purchased a few loads of

block from a plant in Guelph, Ontario, and realized the block were superior to those

made at his own plant … and that they were manufactured on a Besser block machine.

Bev learned that the Jesse Besser policy was to lease new Besser machines, and to

collect by charging one cent per block manufactured. Excited, Bev drove to Alpena to

meet with Jesse. He had no appointment, but he was invited to speak to Clem Mason

who asked him several questions. Clem inquired about the Shouldice plant assets, the

power and water supply, local block demand, local competition, source and volume of

The Besser Male Chorus founding director Ralph Michaud is in the white tuxedo.

24

aggregate, number of trucks, mixer size and whether or

not he had any skip hoists. After answering Clem’s

questions, Bev realized his plant did not have much.

Regardless, Clem recorded all the information from Bev

and left him with a book to read, promising to return an

hour later. True to his word, Clem returned an hour later

and escorted him to meet with Jesse. Jesse reviewed the

report and talked to Bev, who recalls, “He treated me like

a customer he wanted to do business with . . . (but) he

informed me that at the time I did not have sufficient

assets to warrant a deal. However, he invited me to come

back when I had more assets.” Bev returned home to

Shallow Lake, Ontario slightly discouraged but hopeful.

He knew what he wanted to achieve, the trouble was

finding a company to put its trust in him. To

accommodate his current customers, Bev soon purchased

a Belaire block machine, but returned it because of

insufficient output. That same day he was sending the

machine back, a salesman from the S. Vessot Company in

Joliette, Canada arrived at his door, offering to install one

of their machines with no obligation. The machine only

produced block one-at-a-time, but along with the

purchases from Guelph, it was enough to make slow

progress. In 1957, Bev was able to build a new plant

and finally purchase his first Besser block machine, mixer,

skip hoist and off-bearing hoist. At this time James

Richardson from Besser Canada helped Bev improve his

block quality after they found out the aggregate was less

than satisfactory for a good product. Shortly thereafter,

automation was introduced with Besser equipment to

efficiently move the finished product from the front of the

machine and into and out of the curing kilns.

MARX P. ROSENTHALERMarx P. Rosenthaler, a certified public

accountant, joined Besser Company in 1950 as a

financial consultant and personal financial advisor to

Jesse Besser. He founded his own accounting firm, M.P.

Rosenthaler & Company in Alpena in 1924. Soon after

joining Besser Company he was appointed vice president in

charge of finance, a position that led directly to important roles in

Jeana Corporation, and in 1944 the formation of the Besser

Foundation and the Jesse Besser Fund in 1960. One of the outstanding

projects of the Jeana Corporation in 1961, was development of the Thunder

Bay Shopping Center, a major enterprise in which he was the driving force.

The center opened with the anchor stores being Kroger, S.S. Kresge and

Cunningham Drugs.

Marx was also very instrumental in setting up the successful lease program

for Besser Company in 1948. Block machines were leased to customers and a rate

was established whereby they would pay Besser Company each time the machine

cycled. In 1964 the leases were sold to C.I.T. a leasing firm in New York.

As vice-president of the Besser Company finance department, a major task in

itself, he also took on the presidency of the Alpena Corporation, an investment

group of private individuals whose objective was to aid the city’s industrial

development. This was a group that owned the Gilwanigan property, the

Lightweight Aggregate Corporation and was composed of major stockholders in

Elastizell Corporation.

Marx played an active role in many community activities, was a charter

member of the local Kiwanis Club and also a member of various Masonic and

Shriners organizations.

A sudden heart attack, in August 1963, took his life at the age of 72.

25

THE BESSER FUNDBack in Alpena, the Besser Foundation was concentrating its efforts on community

projects. On 11 May 1949, a 22-acre parcel of land on the corner of Walnut and

Miller Streets was donated to build Catholic Central High School. Four years later in

1953, the Besser Foundation laid the cornerstone of the new First Congregational

Church and followed with over $1 million in donations to build the church and school,

working with general contractor Floyd Gagnon. Jesse and Anna were strong financial

supporters of many community organizations. The Besser Fund was established in

February of 1960 and funded with the proceeds from the sale of the Besser machine

leases. The Besser Foundation and the Besser Fund were two private non-profit

organizations established to serve public welfare by providing financial assistance to

other qualified non-profit organizations. Within the first decade of its existence, the

Fund donated over $4 million under the motto coined by Jesse Besser, “To help

institutions help themselves.”

Anna and JesseBesser at thededication of the FirstCongregationalChurch.

Bev Shouldice

The relationship between Besser and Shouldice

continues to grow. In 2003, the third generation of

Shouldices–Steve, Brad and Mark along with their

parents, Rob and June–visited Alpena and selected a

custom dual Dynapac plant to meet their future

production needs for Shouldice Designer Stone. The

unique twin Dynapacs, which were custom-built to their

specifications, will produce the multitude of stone profiles

manufactured by the company.

LIGHTWEIGHT AGGREGATEIn June of 1948 Besser purchased Lightweight Aggregate, an aggregate plant in

Livonia, Michigan to ensure a constant supply of quality aggregate to producers. The

company initially lost $1 million but rebounded under the management of Mel Cruzen.

After breaking even Besser Company sold the plant to the city of Livonia in 1949 for

$1 million.

26

BES-AIR & THE BESCO CRUISERIt soon became apparent that business was hindered because travel to and from

Alpena was somewhat difficult with the area’s limited transportation options. In order

to accommodate the rising number of customers and business travelers, Besser

Manufacturing Company bought a twin-engine Beechcraft five passenger plane and

formed the Bes-Air flight service in 1954. Located at Phelps Collins Air Base in

Alpena, the plane averaged 100,000 miles a year, serving 600 to 800 passengers.

Bes-Air was presented the Million Miler award by the National Business Aircraft

Association for “accomplishing one million aircraft miles without physical injury to a

single passenger or damage to aircraft.”

The Beechcraft was replaced in 1968 with a King-Air eight passenger turbo-prop

plane, which averaged three to four flying days a week with the remainder being utilized

for maintenance. In 1998 Bes-Air, then a Lear Jet, carried a record 569 passengers

and flew 107,973 miles, an equivalent

of 433 aircraft hours.

Since 1990, Besser customers have been served by a B-20

King-Air.

The first pilots to fly Bes-Air were pilot Charles

Seelye and co-pilot Paul Barrow, both hired in 1954. In

1966, Cleo Briley joined Bes-Air as co-pilot and later

became the pilot. Ron Ball was one of the early co-pilots

to fly with Cleo, then later Ken Robbins, who was

replaced in 1985 by Russ Etter. Russ became the main

pilot until his retirement in 1999. Since that time, pilots

and co-pilots have been hired as needed.

Bes-Air’s first flight scheduler was Paul Dane, who

was replaced by Warren T. Libka when Dane joined the

sales department and moved to Ohio. In addition to

scheduling Bes-Air, Warren wrote commercial airline

tickets for employees (until the airlines came to Alpena

and opened an office), and

handled the sales of mold

attachments as part of the

sales department. Today Betsy Boyk handles Bes-Air

scheduling, in addition to her responsibilities as national

sales administrator. Many European prospects and

customers were heard to remark —“Oh yes, Besser - they

are the ones with their own airplane, aren’t they?”

Besser Company also owned and operated a 38-foot

cabin cruiser named “Besco,” purchased in the late 1950s

and primarily used to entertain customers. A twin-engine

Chris-Craft equipped with a sport fisherman’s bridge, it

27

often ferried customers on fishing cruises or up to

Mackinac Island. It remained in service until 1990.Captain Clem Mason, an architectural consultant for

Besser Company and close friend of Phil Park, was

completely responsible for the operation and care of the

cruiser. Phil met Clem when he was playing drums in a

Bay City band that performed in an Alpena nightclub on

weekends. During the week, Clem worked in the auto

industry as a design artist. Phil recognized Clem’s artistic talent and invited him to

come to Besser Company and meet Jesse Besser. Jesse immediately invited him to jointhe Besser staff as an architectural consultant and to handle some of his personal real

estate purchases.

Bes-Air pilots pictured above.

Opening page of the ship’s log for the Besco cruiser.

28

In 1954, this tribute to “the occasion of the BesserManufacturing Company’s golden anniversary” was printed.Featuring a close-up photo of the First Congregational Church onits cover, this booklet chronicled the first 50 years of Besserachievements.

The book reads, “Here, inMichigan’s far North Country, richin natural resources vitally neededby the building industry, the BesserEra had its modest beginning, and

has flourished for half a century.”

28

29

30

1954: MORE CHANGESAlong with the new air service, 1954 brought about

a handful of events that again separated Besser Company

from its competitors. First, the “Manufacturing” in Besser

Manufacturing Company was omitted, shortening the

official company name to Besser Company. Then, the

Vibrapac® (V3R) gained two new features, a Front-

Pallet-Feed and Power Off-Bearing Hoist, which

increased possible production to 7500 block per ten-hour

day on the V3R.

Lastly and perhaps most radically, the manufacturing

company expanded its influence into the realm of training

and teaching. Jesse Besser and Carl Olsen envisioned a

school for concrete products producers that would teach

workers the newest blockmaking techniques and machine

capabilities. The Besser Research and Training Center

(changed in 1963 to Blockmakers Workshops®) was

developed and located on the west end of the shop

assembly line. A complete block plant and classroom

were built to allow for both material/machine testing and

teaching classes. Phil Park was appointed director of

Besser Research and Training with Karl Nensewitz

appointed as the first manager. Bob Rohn, Dick Taber,

JOE PINSONJoe Pinson was one of the leading

figures in establishing the original technical service

department and creating the program to sell Besser

parts. The story goes that Joe operated a tire shop on

Washington Avenue, and one day Jesse Besser stopped in and

invited Joe to apply for a job with Besser Company. Joe, a

Michigan State University graduate, was hired in 1941 as a sales-

service engineer and plant superintendent. He later became personnel

manager, a position he held until 1947, when he was promoted to vice

president of the personnel department.

Joe started the service department which held parts order writers and an

in-house catalog department where operating and parts catalogs were designed.

From the 1940s through the late 1950s, Besser had an in-house print shop

which produced most of the service catalogs and manuals, Besser Block magazine,

Besser News and all the company’s forms. In addition, he hired men to go on the

road installing and servicing Besser equipment. Most of these men traveled out of

Alpena and drove blue Ford station wagons.

To encourage the sale of more Besser parts and accessories, Joe worked with

the catalog department in designing the Besser Parts and Accessories Catalog that

was updated each year and still exists today. The catalog was originally designed

for a sales program called “Spring Dating”: a customer could order “genuine

Besser parts” in the fall to update his Besser machinery during the winter months

and payments weren’t due until spring. “Joe Besco” was another popular

promotion, a cartoon character used in many ads promoting genuine Besser

parts. Joe was also instrumental in organizing a network of warehouses; one

of the first opened in Buffalo, New York. He continued to oversee the

service department as vice president until he retired in July 1968.

Joe worked with the catalogdepartment in designing the Besser Partsand Accessories Catalog that was up-dated each year and still exists today.

Students learning hands-on in Besser Research and TrainingCenter.

31

Frank Smigelski, Lyle Dowling and Barney Stafford were

installed as instructors. Glen Radke handled clerical

duties while Martin Werner took care of maintenance.

AUTOMATION: THE BESSER-MATIC®

Automation arrived in 1956, and without hesitation

Besser jumped at the chance to make parts and accessories

for all aspects of the block making process in Besser

quality and style. The first, the Besser-Matic®, was a

block loader and unloader, which removed the pallets of

block from the front delivery conveyor of the Vibrapac®

and placed them onto steel racks. The full racks were

transported by lift truck to steam-heated kilns to cure the

block. From there, the racks were placed on conveyors

leading to the depalleter which removed block from pallets

and then the block were arranged into cubes for shipment.

The first Besser-Matic® was sold to Standard Block in

Lansing, Michigan in 1956. Automatic Shuttle Cars

were developed a few years later to replace the manually

operated lift trucks that carried the racks between the kilns

Jesse with philanthropist C.S. Mott (left) and Governor George Romney.

and the Besser-Matic®. The

combination of Automatic

Shuttle Cars and the Besser-

Matic® increased handling

productivity to 24,000 block

per 10-hour-day.

ANNA PASSESAWAY

On 23 September

1958, Alpena mourned the

death of Anna Besser at the

age of 76. Anna had not only

been a loyal wife to Jesse Besser,

but was also his closest companion,

friend and business partner and had

served as Besser Company vice president.

She was also very active in community affairs,

Women’s Civic League and the Order of the

Eastern Star. To recognize her community

service, a new elementary school was built on

Wilson Street in Alpena in 1958 and named

Anna M. Besser Elementary. From 1963 to

1983, it served as a Junior High School until

declining enrollment forced its closure. It was

reopened in 1986 as an elementary school.

PHILANTHROPYIn 1960, Besser Company purchased 57

acres of land next to the production facility on

Johnson Street in Alpena, Michigan and

donated it to Alpena Community College. The

following year Besser Company donated $1 million dollars to construct the Besser

Technical Center over the next two years.

32

The charitable reach of Jesse Besser went far beyond his geographical community,

and his generosity was recognized through numerous awards and honors. Jesse was

named one of 1962’s ten outstanding Michigan leaders, along with Flint philanthropist

C. S. Mott. In the fall of 1963 he was granted the Silver Medallion, a Citizen’s

Award by the Greater Michigan Foundation for “Monumental Contributions to

Education.” This was in addition to two birthday galas presented to him by the

Alpena community on the 72nd anniversary of his birth date in 1954 and another in

1962 on his 80th. At his 80th party, Jesse sincerely expressed his appreciation to an

audience of 500 friends including fellow community leaders, saying: “It gives me so

much pleasure to be here with you . . . Both of these events will be among my most

precious memories.” Tom G. Fletcher, whom the Alpena News described as a

“smooth, enjoyable and unobtrusive master of ceremonies,” led the celebration. Jesse

was presented with a two-volume binding of congratulatory letters from friends in the

United States and abroad. The delightful program also

included a mystery cast in a “This Is Your Life”

presentation featuring influential people from his past.

Jesse had long wished to commemorate Alpena’s ties

to lumbering days, an industry that had settled the

northeast Lower Peninsula and had been long abandoned.

In 1965, Clem Mason, Besser Company architect and

close friend to Jesse, found 112 acres of land with virgin

pine and 4125 feet of shoreline in Presque Isle County.

He mentioned it to Jesse. The owner, local realtor Orville

Murch, was asking $135,000 for the property but sold it

to Jesse for $92,000 because his intentions were to

preserve it for future generations. This historic forest was

formerly called “Bell Pines” because it contained the ruins

of Bell Village, an old logging town and Native American

gravesite. A lagoon that lies between the forest and Lake

Huron contains a sunken ship hull from the 1800s. It is

one of many wrecks that have recently been identified by

the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration as

Placing the cornerstone at Besser Bell are Garnet Brandt, Ray Kinseland Jim Park.

Dedication of the Besser Natural area. Left to right: Director Ralph MacMullan, Jesse Besser,Commissioner Harry Whiteley, Senator Thomas Schweigert.

33

Bell Pines clubhouse.

historical treasures. The Thunder Bay National Marine Sanctuary

and Underwater Preserve is the first freshwater sanctuary and only

the second sanctuary to focus solely on the protection of historic

shipwrecks in the U.S. Bell Pines was renamed Besser Natural

Area and is one of only two Lower Peninsula parks with virgin pine

timber. When the area was dedicated, Jesse wrote, “It is delightful

to be here today for dedication of this natural area…these glorious

pines remind us of the old days, our ancestry … this marker, this

beautiful piece of limestone commemorates today.”

Adjacent to the park is a clubhouse conceived by Eldon

Thompson, designed by Ray Kinsel and built by workers and

volunteers under the supervision of Elvin Liske. “Mr. Park called

me into his office on 8 June 1971 and work on the Bell began

9 June 1971,” Eldon recalled. The concrete block structure with an

attractive view of Lake Huron was completed one year and two

weeks later and is used for Blockmakers Workshops graduations,

community functions, training sessions and by the Bell members for

personal events.

In May 1966, the Jesse Besser Museum was dedicated thanks

to a $750,000 donation and land from the Jesse Besser Fund. To

show appreciation, the community of Alpena raised money for the

museum planetarium.

In 1968, Jesse Besser asked the U.S. Tax Court to set aside a

$4,874,895 tax deficiency filed against him by the Internal Revenue

Service. Jesse, at the age of 85, former sole

owner and now a major stockholder of Besser

Company, denied that he personally benefited

from the 1961 sale of company assets when the

machinery leases were turned over to the

Besser Fund. In its judgment, the IRS placed

the value of the machinery at $7,410,019 and

ordered Jesse to pay income tax on that

amount. The IRS later dropped the lawsuit

against him.

BESSER BELL PINESCommemorating the 75th Anniversary ofBesser Company, a limited edition of 150silk-screened prints were produced. Theoriginal artwork was by Dorothy Gheen ofAlpena. Dorothy, a well-known artist both onthe state and national level, has artisticallydocumented visual and historical aspects ofnortheastern Michigan. This serigraph inthree colors on d’Arches Cover Stock wasprinted by Tom Allen of the graphic artsdepartment at Alpena Community College.

34

CREATING MEMORIESOne of the most popular items that Jesse

Besser shared with customers was known as the

“birthday book”. This was a leather-bound

book purchased from the novelty company

Brown and Bigelow for about $14. Each

year a different book was mailed to Besser

customers, arriving in time for the

anniversary of their birth date. The cover of

the brown leather book had the customer

name embossed in gold and the exterior of

the back cover was personalized with “HAPPY

BIRTHDAY” and a Jesse Besser signature in

gold. After Jesse passed away, the program

continued, using the signature of Phil Park

rather than that of Jesse. The books

contained interesting subjects that were not yet

popular or well-known, like flights to outer space,

underwater diving and environmental planning.

The program ran from 1947 to 1974 when it was

discontinued because the vendor stopped publishing

the books due to a large increase in production costs.

Many block plant owners installed bookshelves in

their offices to display the books, of which they were

very proud. In fact, there were occasional disputes within

a family as to the proper ownership of the cherished and

valuable collection of books.

INNOVATIVE GOVERNANCEIn the 1960s, Jesse Besser developed several

innovative business strategies. One, which was quite rare,

was the selection of a group of outside directors to sit on

the board of the family company. In fact, he appointed a

majority of outside directors, a practice that continues

today.

The early directors were typically bankers, attorneys

or executives in other manufacturing companies. Among

them were Edward Adams Jr., a senior banker from the

National Bank of Detroit; Morgan Collins, a professor of

management at the University of Michigan and a former

Ford Motor Company executive; and Harold Schaefer, an

engineering manager for Willys-Jeep.

Also serving as directors who helped guide Besser

Company during its development were: Carl Reitz of

Reitz and LaFleche, CPAs; Ed Turner, a manufacturing

executive at Camtec International; and Philip G. Moon,

an international banker from National Bank of Detroit.

A special person who held the Board of Directors

together at many a meeting was Harold “Harry” A.

Ruemenapp. He joined the board in 1966 when he

replaced his departed partner, Fred Kennedy, at Butzel,

Long law firm. Harry followed up the excellent advice he

had offered to Jesse Besser with some wise counsel to Phil

Park and then Jim Park. Harry retired from the board in

2002.

Inspired by articles in several of the“Birthday Books” Besser Company stoppedusing coal in the foundry to produce blades andliners because of air pollution, and switched to the moreexpensive and environmentally friendly electric furnaces.

For nearly a quarter-century Besserhas commissioned an artist to create acustom birthday anniversary card.The cards are mailed to customersaround the world and hand deliveredto employees.

35

36

OFFICE WORKERS UNITEIn September 1966, the Besser Company office

union voted to become part of the United Cement Lime &

Gypsum Workers, International Union (AFL-CIO).

The following year in May the new group decided the best

approach was to go on strike, and about 90 Besser office,

clerical and engineering workers participated. Honoring

the picket line were 360 shop workers of the Alpena

Independent Workers Association Local #1.

The 1960s were also about improving lifestyles.

Established under the Social Security Amendments of

1965, President Johnson signed the Medicare Act,

providing health insurance to people age 65 and older. In

1966, science fiction gained mainstream acceptance when

Star Trek aired on NBC in prime time. That same year

the National Organization for Women was founded and

presided over by Betty Friedan. Through legislative

lobbying, litigation and demonstrations it attempted to end

discrimination against women. Jesse also felt the need to

make some alterations in 1966. Following the example

set by other philanthropists such as Henry

Ford, Jesse dropped the “H” from his

official name. This meant the “H” had to

be removed from all plaques, letterheads and

buildings. Friends had fun reminding Jesse

Besser that Al Capone and Jesse James had

no middle initials either.

Meanwhile, the newly formed Jesse

Besser Fund donated $400,000 to build the

Besser Technical Center at Alpena

Community College for expansion of the

Blockmakers Workshops® program.

In 1968, the shop union joined United Stone andAllied Product Workers of America, AFL-CIO asLocal 209. Currently, Gordon Udell serves aspresident. In 1984, the members of the Alpenaoffice union voted to join the Boilermakersand remain with them as of 2004. TimothyJones currently serves as president.

IRVING “CHRIS”CHRISTOPHERSON

Another well-known worker at Besser

Company was Irving Christopherson, whose career

spanned over 48 years. He was hired in May 1943 and

worked for the personnel department as a mailman and first aid

attendant. He would make daily rounds of the office, transferring

inter-office mail, plus picking up and delivering U.S. mail to the

Alpena Post Office. Often, he would drive Jesse to Detroit to catch the

train and drove Anna about town on her errands.

“Chris”, as he was nicknamed, was born and raised in Alpena, and

enjoyed many years of hunting with the Park family at the KMP Klub during

the November deer season. In 1955, Chris joined the international sales

department managed by Ralph Bailey, and in 1957 he was sent to the

Shouldice plant in Owen Sound, Ontario, Canada to install a Besser V3-M.

He also helped Richard Sullivan organize Besser Canada Ltd. in 1959, with

a sales office and warehouse located in Bramalea, Ontario, where Richard

became the manager. In February 1991, Chris retired, having spent most of

his career in the export department.

Promotional notepads used in 1966

and 1967.

37

KEY MANAGEMENT STAFF IN 19691969 saw the naming of the following managers:

George Stevens, assistant manufacturing manager; Harry

Cruzen, Jr., director of engineering; Herman Wagner,

assistant manufacturing manager; Jack Mitchell, sales

manager; Lucas Pfeiffenberger, Besser research and

training manager; Richard Bingham, secretary and

assistant treasurer; Gerald Krueger, personnel director;

Donald McVicar, export manager; Weir Gresham,

assistant design engineer; Jack LaPine, engineer; Karl

Nensewitz, service manager; Don Hampton, vice president

of finance & treasurer; Ray Bailey, vice president of

purchasing & manufacturing; and Ellis Woodruff, vice

president of sales. Phil Park was president and Jesse

Besser, chairman of the board.

One stroke of genius Jesse had was incentivizing

regional managers as early as 1964. Key managers were

given a bonus that included cash and common stock, which

A major shift in the culture of Besser Company occurred in 1964 when five keymanagers of the company were presented with shares of Besser stock. Prior to thistime, only family members held shares. Up until 1996, the only way for anemployee to become a shareholder was to be given shares as part of their compensationpackage. Currently, a program is in place allowing employees to purchase shares withthe goal of allowing every employee the opportunity to invest and share in thecompany’s success.

Other than the early 1990s and the business recession of 2000 – 2001, the priceof Besser stock owned by employees has a record of increasing value every year forover 40 years. So, when an employee shareholder retires, there is a nice supplementalretirement benefit available for having added value to the company over the years.

is ownership in Besser Company. Starting with five key managers in 1964, the

number of employees who have earned stock based on their performance has grown to

over 150 employees and their spouses.

A shareholder is granted stock at the price prevailing at the time of receipt and

then, upon retiring, the employee is paid for the shares at the prevailing price. Several

employees have created nice wealth based on this supplemental compensation.

Besser sales and administration managers in front of Besser Technical Center at Alpena Community College, 1966.

38

ORDER OF ST. SYLVESTERCOMMENDATION AND GOOD-BYE

Nelson Henderson once said, “The true meaning of

life is to plant trees, under whose shade you do not

expect to sit.” Jesse and Anna Besser would have

firmly agreed. Ardent Congregationalists, they

maintained a belief in equality among Christian

Jesse receives the prestigious and rare Order of St. SylvesterCommendation from the Most Reverend Francis Reh, Bishop ofSaginaw, Michigan on behalf of Pope Paul VI.

religions and never discriminated as to whom was more

deserving of Foundation funds. The multitude of

donations given to education, church and health services

over the years earned Jesse the prestigious and rare Order

of St. Sylvester Commendation by the Roman Catholic

Church in 1969. On behalf of Pope Paul VI, the Most

Reverend Francis Reh, Bishop of Saginaw, Michigan

presented the esteemed medallion and ribbon to Jesse.

Jesse Besser was the only Michigan citizen ever granted

this, the highest Catholic commendation for a layman.

Moreover, it was the first time that the Commendation was

given to a non-Catholic. Perhaps appropriately, the

St. Sylvester medallion ended up to be Jesse’s final

earthly award. Jesse passed away the next year on

3 May 1970, days shy of his 88th birthday

anniversary and third community birthday gala.

Jesse’s brother Walter died prior to Jesse on 21

February 1969. Walter spent his entire adult

life living and working in the Alpena Business

District as a salesman.

PHILIP M. PARK, CEOPhil Park, who had been president of Besser

Company since 1965, now presided over administrative

duties with the passing of Jesse Besser. With nearly 37

years of experience under his belt, he was well prepared

for the job and looked forward to expanding overseas.

By this time, Besser had 122 Vibrapac block

machines in the United States, Canada and over 28 other

countries. It almost seemed a prerequisite for

the CEO of Besser Company be actively

involved in numerous company and civic

concerns. Jesse had spent much of his time

and money expanding the surrounding

Bust of Jesse Besser displayed atthe Jesse Besser Museum.

39

community, and Phil was dedicated to serving in local groups by involving

his time and talents. He was an active member of the Besser golf and

bowling teams, and in the late 1940s and early 1950s supported the Besser

softball team in the city softball league. He was the local chapter chairman

of the American Red Cross, an organizer of the local United Fund, fund

chairman for the local council of Boy Scouts of America, on the board of

directors of Alpena Public Schools, president of the Jesse Besser Museum,

and a member of the Masonic Order, Elks, Alpena Country Club, Yacht

Club and Rotary Club of Alpena. In 1962 Phil had served as Governor of

District 631 Rotary Club for which he proudly performed

duties in both state and national offices. One of his

passions was to attend a Rotary meeting wherever in the

world his travels took him. His dedication to the Club

earned him the Paul Harris Fellow in 1977, the highest

award given by the International Organization of Rotary.

Phil was also involved in significant activities beyond

Alpena County, acting as director of the National Concrete

Masonry Association, director of Michigan Mutual

Insurance Co., of Detroit, and director of the National

Business Aircraft Association, Michigan Manufacturers

Association and the Michigan Chamber of Commerce.

Phil, Jim, Susan, Patricia and Maxine at Christmas.

Phil Park in Joe Stepanski's 1930Model A pickup.

Jesse Besser and Phil Park stand together with the Besser water sphere in the background.

40

Phil was a trustee of Olivet College and Cleary College in

Ypsilanti, Michigan from 1970 to 1974. He also held two

honorary doctorate degrees; one in engineering from the

University of Barranquilla in Columbia and one in science

from Cleary College. Phil was also among Alpena’s many

proud World War II veterans, having served as a Lieutenant in

the U.S. Navy Reserve. Initially during his service, Phil was

assigned to the purchasing division of the Bureau of Ships of

the U.S. Department of the Navy in Washington, D.C., but

later he became an air combat intelligence officer in the Pacific

Theater of Operations before finally returning to Washington

to an assistant to Senator Hugh Scott in 1945. Phil married

Ella Maxine Bradley on 20 June 1935. Together they raised

three children: one son, James, the current chairman and

CEO of Besser Company, and two daughters, Patricia, a state

congresswoman in Georgia who resides in Atlanta with her

husband Jerry Gardner, and Susan who is married to Dr.

ELLIS R. “WOODY”WOODRUFF

Woody, the name most everyone called

him, was born in Springville, New York. He served

in the United States Army during the U.S.S. San Pablo

incident in China in 1932. Shortly thereafter, he became a test

pilot for Bell Aircraft of Ohio, and then in 1935 he joined the

IBM Corporation. During World War II he was re-inducted into the

Army Air Corps, where he rose to the rank of Colonel, and following the

war, he returned to IBM.

It was in 1950 that Woody accepted a sales position with Besser

Company. After a few short years as a salesman on the road he was promoted

to sales manager, and then in 1964 he was promoted to vice president, sales

and marketing, a position he held until he retired in 1977. Woody was famous

for his remarks when asked for a sales forecast. For instance, he would answer,

“I’m not giving you a forecast today because it will change tomorrow.” Woody

is well remembered for having the amazing ability to go into one of his favorite

sales districts and pick up a large order when activity in the shop was slow.

He was an active member of Rotary International and the Elks. Perhaps his

favorite activity away from work was his hunting camp. Woody often took

customers there to entertain them with a steak dinner and a ride through

the woods on his “coot” (all-terrain vehicle).

Phil Park with a Vibrapac.

41

Tony Krausen and resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

Phil’s leisure time involved many sports. He enjoyed

watching Alpena High School football games and

attended whenever he was in town. Phil and Mel

Cruzen, a close friend and business associate, teed off at alocal golf course every Wednesday. Phil also entertained

customers, friends and other visitors at the KMP Klub,

his hunting lodge 18 miles north of Alpena on US-23.

The mysterious name is explained in the original owners:

“K” for friend and business partner Charlie Kimball;

“M” for Clem Mason, a trusted associate and “P” for

Park.

Besser Management - January 1969Back row left to right: Dick Bingham, George Stevens, Gerald “Feeney” Kruger, Pete Cruzen,Don McVicar, Herman Wagner, Weir Gresham, Jack Mitchell, Jack LaPine, Lucas Pfeiffenberger,Karl Nensewitz. Front row left to right: Don Hampton, Phil Park, Jesse Besser, Ray Bailey,Ellis “Woody” Woodruff.

The Besser Company secretarial pool. “The Girls” typed allcorrespondance.

KMP Klub located north of Alpena on US-23.

LAKEHOUSE MEETINGSThe Besser management team met each Friday at noon over soup and sandwiches

to review operations, firm up the shipping schedule for the future and discuss in-depth

one important topic each week. Topics were very diverse and included such subjects as

inventory, accounts receivable, sales, budgets

and research and training. Located directly

across the street from the plant, the Lakehouse

is a small, simple building sitting on the shore

of Lake Besser. The building comfortably

holds only about 15 people, the amenities are

sparse, a fireplace is the only source of heat and

there is no restroom. This led to meetings that

were relatively short and to the point.

42

THE BESSER OVERSEAS CORPORATIONPhil Park had a dream and a plan to move Besser Company further into the

international business arena. Since his first overseas sale in 1937, Phil had envisioned

the unlimited possibilities awaiting the company across the globe. With this in mind, he

formed the Besser Overseas Corporation. Phil realized that Besser machines were

The Japan Besser Club was comprised of Besser machinery owners in Japan.

renowned worldwide but the availability of parts in distant

locations was inadequate. In order to accommodate this,

he was instrumental in the formation of Besser Canada,

Besser A. G. in Switzerland and Besser Australia so that

block manufacturers could quickly access needed parts or

new machines through regional distributors. This strategy

was a stroke of brilliance, securing Besser as the world

leader in concrete machinery. Overseas sales volume

matched domestic sales volume and annual sales more

than doubled from $12 million in 1964 to $30 million in

1974.

One of the largest overseas sales was finalized in

1972 by Besser representative Luis Arias, with the sale of

five silo stave block plants—used to produce grain silos—

to Russia at a price of $2,000,000. In 2004, several of

these plants were still in operation.

In June 1973, Phil Park accepted the President’s

“E” Award on behalf of over 750 Besser Company

employees. Created in 1961 by the

United States government, the

award is the nation’s highest honor

in recognizing the continuous

growth in sales outside the United

States with positive contributions to

the U.S. economy. Michigan

Governor William Milliken and

George Campbell, an international

trade specialist for the U.S.

Department of Commerce,

presented the award along with

Alpena Mayor William Gilmet.

Phil Richards, editor of the Alpena

News, was the master of

ceremonies.

Phil Park, Besser Company chairman of the board, third from left, Don McVicar, export manager, first from left and Luis Arias,district manager Europe, far right, welcome Soviet delegation to Alpena.

43

Presenting the “E” Award to Phil Park is Michigan Governor William Milliken, George Campbell,an international trade specialist for the United States Department of Commerce, and Alpena MayorWilliam Gilmet.

PHIL PARK MAKES A MARKBusinessman Phil Park had a career full of

accomplishments. He approved the sale of eight Vibrapacs

to be shipped simultaneously to Superlite in Phoenix,

Arizona in 1958. It was highly unusual for Besser

Company to sell so many machines to the same company,

since it had been a Jesse Besser rule that only one machine

be sold per 50 mile radius. However, the marketplace was

changing, and Phil realized that if Besser did not place the

machine, the competition would. In June 1967, the sales

dollars for the export department were again boosted with

the sale of a Vibrapac to South Vietnam.

DIVERSIFICATIONNot each and every foray into new businesses worked

wonders. As part of the Ulrich Company (Illinois)

purchase in 1969, Besser acquired the rights to a cable

plow. This device moved down the highway and buried

cable using an orbital action. Besser management chose not

to spend the resources to develop a wide range of models for

the industry and subsequently dropped out of the business.

In 1994, Besser wasawarded another award:the “E” Star for continuingto grow international sales.Governor John Engler waspresent for this award alongwith Dean Peterson fromthe United StatesDepartment of Commerce,and Phil Richards acted asmaster of ceremonies.

44

Instead, the facility, was converted into a Besser cuber

manufacturer and parts warehouse. Another diversification

venture included Vincent Company near Tampa, Florida.

This company produced waste material recovery equipment

such as finding a use for orange peels, and was eventually

sold at a profit.

A resource allocation issue raised its head when

Besser, through a contact at Ulrich, came in contact with

Wasteco Systems of Tualatin, Oregon. This outfit was a

leader in pollution control engineering and made equipment

to burn all types of waste materials including sewage,

industrial waste and pathological materials. Without an

engineering resource east of the Mississippi, there was no

technical support, so when the Oregon company went

under, Besser quickly exited the business.

Another innovative Phil Park move was to purchase

the inventory of a concrete masonry machinery

manufacturer called Go-Corp, a company that

manufactured two-at-a-time block machines, since the design

of the machine and molds was almost the same as Besser

machinery. Besser had been selling mold parts to producers

operating Go-Corp equipment for some time. Therefore,

the intent was that as the Go-Corp machines wore out, they

would be replaced by Besser machines, since the producer

had a comfort level already established from buying parts.

In 1970, Phil arranged another wise purchase. John

and George Baker, brothers who owned and operated

Baker Sheet Metal, located on the corner of Grant and

Ripley Streets, approached Phil Park offering to sell their

business. Since they had already been doing some

manufacturing for Besser Company at peak times, Phil

could see this would be a good addition to Besser

Company.

DONALD HAMPTONDonald G. Hampton was born in

Rogers City, Michigan in 1913 and spent much of

his life in the Alpena and Ossineke area. After

graduating from Alpena High School, his greatest desire

was to learn about finance. He completed correspondence

courses in higher accounting and office management through

LaSalle Trade School. He worked as a bookkeeper for three years

at the Alpena Livestock Commission at a wage of $20 a week. He

was also employed for a year and a half as the assistant secretary-treasurer

at the National Farm Loan Association. For a while he worked as a self-

employed carpenter. In 1943, he worked as a storekeeper at the Army Air

Base in Alpena.

He began his career with Besser Company in 1944 as a clerk. In 1965 he

moved up to treasurer and the same year was appointed vice president in charge

of finance. He also held significant positions at Besser Industries in Roanoke,

Illinois and Besser Canada Ltd. Don’s brother-in-law, Don Sylvester, was also a

long-time Besser employee.

Don Hampton worked closely with Marx Rosenthaler making lease

arrangements for Besser customers. He served not only on the Board of Directors

of Besser Company, but also on the Board of the Besser Foundation for a number

of years. Don was an expert in arranging financing for international customers,

and was very much involved in handling the sales of the Besser leases to C.I.T.

These funds became a major source for Besser Foundation grants.

Outside of Besser work, he was very interested in the Credit Union

movement and in the 1950s helped to establish the Marion Credit Union,

currently the Alpena Alcona Area Credit Union. He was also a charter

member of the Besser Credit Union.

A relatively quiet person, Don was not often seen walking the halls

of the office or wandering about the shop. However, whenever he

was involved in meetings, he broke the monotony by telling one of

his many jokes. Don retired from Besser Company in 1976.

45

Groundbreaking in September 1971 forthe building on Chisholm Street, whichwas jointly owned by Besser and HuronPortland Cement Credit Unions.Pictured left to right: Elroy Gapske,Garney Brandt, Al Siegert, KarlNensewitz, Percy Snyder, Phil Park,Erv Neumann and Dick Wallace.

In 1973, a group of Besser managers pooled their

money and purchased the major interest in Baker. In

1976, Wes Ball approached the Besser managers who

were stockholders of Baker and purchased the building.

Shortly thereafter, Besser repurchased all the stock from

managers and constructed a new facility north of Alpena

and renamed the company Baker Enterprises.

Phil Park introduced innovations that reached not

only globally and nationally, but also locally. Many

Transporting machines by rail.

important shop improvements were

installed to improve efficiency and bring

the facility up to date, such as the tram-

rail system that helped greatly for storing

parts and conserving floor space. He

also ensured that all the shop machinery

was updated, and that the coal-burning

furnace in heat treat was replaced with a

gas-fired furnace.

46

ELDON F. THOMPSONEldon F. Thompson began his career

with Besser in 1942 working in the shop under an

apprentice training program. One year later, he

entered the U. S. Marine Corps, returning to Besser in

1946. In 1957, he was appointed superintendent of the night

shift, and in 1958 he received another promotion to master

mechanic. In 1967 he left Besser, returning in 1969 to become plant

manager, a position he held until his retirement in 1985. Eldon

continued to be an active member in the Shriners and received his honorary

33rd degree in the Masons in 1982.

Leo Adams served as plant manager prior to Eldon Thompson and left

Besser in 1968. Leo replaced Raymond Douglas following his retirement.

Leo had previously worked for Saginaw Steering and brought with him many

motivating improvements to the shop.

THE CO-OP ADVERTISINGPROGRAM

Besser Company holds the belief that responsibility

to the industry goes beyond manufacturing equipment; we

need to help promote the end product. Over the years the

promotion of concrete masonry has taken on many forms.

There have been beautiful color printed brochures and

flyers demonstrating the different styles of block in use

with room for the customer to have company information

printed. The “Modular Book” showing the basics of

construction with block, business cards shaped like block,

miniature scale model concrete block and block

clocks, block scales (ruler like devices) and

home plan books have been offered.

The most popular and longest lasting of the

programs is the “Co-op” calendar, featuring full

color photos showcasing concrete masonry and

landscape products used in projects around the

globe. Producers generously

provide the photos for the

calendar, and can purchase the

calendars, customized with

their company imprint at

nominal cost.

LUCAS E. PFEIFFENBERGERLucas E. Pfeiffenberger was recruited a few years after he graduated from

the University of Illinois with a masters degree in ceramic engineering in 1957.

Lucas was tough to sell on the value of concrete over ceramics. However, once he

became convinced that cement was “the most economical glue for putting

together aggregates for building materials”, he became a strong proponent of

concrete and a leader of the Besser School. Lucas, a well-respected speaker,

traveled the world educating construction professionals on the merits of

concrete.

One of the attractions to Alpena for Lucas was a young lady

named Janet Grant, and their budding romance led to marriage.

Lucas retired in 1989, and long-time instructor Bob Rohn

became the leader of the Blockmakers Workshops®

program.

47

James C. Park

48

JAMES C. PARKTAKES THEHELM

Jim was destined to

run Besser Company

like his father and great-

uncle; the concrete block

machine business ran in

his blood. However, Jim

wanted to bring a unique

and diverse leadership to

the position. He felt he

wanted to learn not just

the concrete industry, but also to cultivate experience from

different jobs, companies and countries. After graduating from

Alpena High School, he completed his undergraduate studies at

the University of Mexico and University of Michigan. Prior to

completing his master of business administration from the

Jim in high school.

Jim Park returnsfrom Mexico after

having visited Cubaand several other

countries.

GEORGE B. STEVENSGeorge Stevens, born and raised in

Alpena, was the oldest of ten children. He

graduated from Alpena High School in 1945 and

obtained a degree in industrial management from the

University of Detroit in 1951. Prior to graduating he served

in the United States Army. His career with Besser started in the

machine shop in 1951, advancing through many facets: assembly,

estimating, storeroom and finally stores and inventory control, and in

1962 he was appointed production planning manager. He was named

manager, material control in 1969.

George and his wife, Audrey, raised 12 children. In Alpena, one of their

daughters, Janet Behnke is the current safety and training supervisor at Besser

and son Gary Stevens is the operations manager. George’s brothers Levi and

John also worked for Besser, Levi as a machinist in the shop and John was a

service representative who traveled extensively installing Besser machinery in

Russia, Japan, China and many other countries.

When Phil Park was looking to find a manager for Besser operations in

Roanoke, Illinois, George was appointed to president of the operation. An

additional assignment when George would take Bes-Air to the Peoria Airport was

to secure Illinois corn to feed the deer at KMP Klub. George would also help

prepare for customer visits at the Klub by securing the alcohol. After all, prices

for such beverages were somewhat lower in Illinois than Michigan!

George played an active role in the community as member of the Alpena

Boosters working at many of their fundraisers as well as soliciting funds and

materials for various Babe Ruth and Little League baseball fields. In

recognition of his Boosters efforts, the Babe Ruth field in the OxBow area

was named Stevens Field. Since then, the field has been reestablished as

McRae Park. In 1995, George was inducted in the Alpena Sports

Hall of Fame as an outstanding community sports booster.

49

University of Michigan, Jim spent a year as a

Rotary International Fellow in Caracas, Venezuela.

Toward the end of his military career in the Army

Security Agency, he took graduate classes at George

Washington University while stationed at Ft. Meade

Maryland with the National Security Agency

during the Berlin Crisis of 1960-1961. After

completing his graduate work in 1961, Jim was

hired by Price Waterhouse and Company in

Caracas, Venezuela as a data processing specialist

and was promoted to consultant while in the

Washington, D.C. office and finally to manager in

the Tampa, Florida office.

ADMINISTRATIVE CHANGESThere were several administrative position

changes taking place at Besser in 1977. While the

majority of the equity in Besser was still family

1990 Board of Directors.Left to right: EdwardTurner, Jim Park, RichardMuzzy, HaroldReumenapp,Jim Arbuckle,Carl Reitz.

Philip Scott and Kimberly Alison, children ofJim and Sally Park born in Caracas,Venezuela while Jim was assigned there byPrice Waterhouse and Company.

owned, a professional management team was being developed. Jack Mitchell was made

distribution manager for the United States. Jack started at Besser in July 1940 as a

sales and service trainee, then traveled throughout the U.S. and Mexico as a service

representative and then served in many sales and service manager positions for the New

York districts prior to his promotion.

Karl Nensewitz became sales manager in 1977. Since his arrival at Besser

Company in June 1941, Karl had evolved into one of the most prominent figures in the

concrete machine industry. After serving in many capacities—including the first

manager of the Besser Research and Training school—Karl was appointed director of

Besser Technical Center and in 1965 became the service manager for Besser Company

until his promotion to sales manager.

Michael J. Kelly started with Besser in January 1972 as a management trainee,

working in many shop areas as well as in production office departments. In 1982, he

was promoted to assistant plant manager under Eldon Thompson, plant manager. In

1985, Mike was promoted to vice president, manufacturing and on to executive vice

president of Besser Alpena manufacturing in 1999. During his career with Besser

Company he also served the community in various positions including the Junior

Achievement program. Mike concluded his career with Besser in 2001.

50

Phil as CEO ofBesser Company.

HYDRAULIC BLOCK MACHINESThe concrete block machine industry had grown

exponentially since the first Besser hand-tamp machine

was introduced in 1904. Many companies making

concrete block machinery had come and gone, unable to

meet the difficult challenges that Besser Company had

survived. In its first 75 years of existence, Besser

Company produced and installed more than 450

machines around the world, catapulting it to world leader

status. Still there was competition from hydraulic block

machines that operated more quietly and took up less

space. Hydraulic machines filled the demand for smaller

producers with fewer assets. To meet this industry need, a

moderately priced hydraulic machine was introduced

shortly after Mr. Besser’s death. The first version was

called a V2H —“V” for Vibrapac®, “2” for two-at-a-

time and “H” for hydraulic —and still featured the

durable mechanical design and vibration originally

established by Jesse Besser. A subsequent hydraulic

three-at-a-time machine with a curvilinear feed box design

engineered by Mike Balhorn in 1977 was called the

Bescopac®, which produced approximately 8640 block

per day and replaced the V2H. Also in 1977, another

new and updated model of the Vibrapac was introduced,

named the Dynapac® and capable of producing 1800

block per ten-hour day, 3-at-a-time in 8 inch

equivalents.

AN ERA ENDS … AND BEGINSThe company flourished under the

leadership of Jim Park, the young managers

working with him, and the guidance of Phil Park

and his associates. When a recession began in

1975, the company once again had to prepare

DAVID FUNKDavid Funk started at Besser in January

1947 at a wage of 85 cents an hour as an office

clerk, although many said he was overpaid at that rate!

In January 1954 he was promoted to a salaried position,

overseeing the parts order department called central order, and

opening additional warehouses under the supervision of Joe

Pinson. The new warehouses were strategically located in:

Bramalea, Ontario, Canada; Chamblee, Georgia; Kansas City,

Missouri and Chatsworth, California. The Chatsworth warehouse

showcased the uses of concrete masonry, and also housed an ultra-modern

office to serve west coast and overseas customers. Weekly parts shipments

were trucked from Alpena to replenish warehouse inventory. David retired

in February 1986 as customer service manager.

JACK MITCHELLJack Mitchell, born and raised in Alpena, graduated from Alpena High

School in 1940. Following graduation he began his career with Besser Company

working in the shop. In December 1943, he joined the Army and was assigned to

the 8th Armored Division. He was awarded the Silver Star for his service in the

military.

In January 1946 he returned to Besser Company as a senior layout man in

the shop. Following his training in 1948 through 1950, he was promoted to a

serviceman on the road.

In 1954, he transferred to sales for the Buffalo, New York district

receiving promotions until in 1976 he received his highest promotion, that of

distribution manager, a position he held until his retirement in 1984. Jack

has a son, Karl, who has worked for Besser Company for 35 years, with

most of that time spent in the pricing department.

51

itself for a setback. With the exception of Phil, no one in

the Besser administrative team had any experience

operating in an economic downturn. Phil had learned

during the harsh depression of the 1930s that the

possibility of another such crisis was both frightening and

testing. Under the leadership of Phil Park, Besser

Company survived the crisis.

Tragically, that couldn’t be said about Phil himself.

On 1 September 1983, while on his nightly swim behind

his home on Lake Huron, Phil Park drowned.

Following the sudden death of his father, Jim was

faced with many decisions regarding investments to

improve Besser Company’s response to increased

competition. The communications system was upgraded

with an entirely new phone and fax system. Computers

were purchased for most employees, bringing the

engineering department into modern times with CAD/

CAM systems. As business began to improve, major

shop improvements were made as well.

In January 1982, a new Lodge &

Shipley ProFiturn 50

CNC-Controlled

Lathe was purchased

for $320,000. In May

1985, computerized

numerically controlled

panels on 3 Giddings

and Lewis machining

centers were installed at a cost of $255,000. Other major improvements followed.

April 1986 saw a new Linde CM-350 thermal cutting machine installed for

$200,000, and in August new furnaces in heat treat at a cost of $500,000 were put in

place. Other physical improvements included the addition of a crane-way in the shop

area and the enclosing of most of the cold storage area. To improve productivity of

attachments and mold parts, a portion of the shop located between the main shop and

heat treat was enclosed and new equipment was purchased for this core cell department.

E. Maxine Park, Phil Park’s wife, died 13 February 1986 in Atlanta, Georgia

following a brief illness. She had moved to Atlanta from Sun City, Florida to be closer

to her eldest daughter Patricia. Born January 1911 in Olivet, Michigan, the former

Maxine Bradley graduated from Olivet College. She taught Latin and English in the

Alpena Public Schools for many years and was a very active member of the

First Congregational Church. Other civic involvements and

memberships included the Alpena General Hospital Tray Club

where she served as president, fundraising for community

concerts, plus many years of service as a “Grey Lady,” or

patient advocate, at the hospital. A rose garden was planted

adjacent to Besser Company in honor of her many years of

company and community service.

Pictured here in Alpena, 2002, are siblings Patricia, Jim and Susan.

Left to right: Alison Park with Sarah,Scott Park with Hallie, Dennis Fitzgeraldwith Michael and Kim Park.Inset: Molly Fitzgerald.

52

GERALD “FEENEY”KRUEGER

Gerald “Feeney” Krueger began his career

with Besser Company in 1946 as a “time keeper” and

soon was transferred to the accounting department as a

clerk. He was subsequently appointed to personnel manager,

the position he held until his retirement in 1987. “Feeney,” as

most Besser employees called him, had excellent negotiation skills and

successfully reached agreeable settlements between Besser Company and

the unions in most cases. He also operated the company store along with

Al Liske and Irv Christopherson. Inside the store they sold pop, coffee,

candy bars and safety shoes. Started in 1944, the store was open during the

ten-minute breaks employees took each morning and afternoon. When the ten-

minute breaks were eliminated, vending machines replaced the store.

Prior to his time with Besser Company, Feeney worked for Wyandotte

Chemicals. When the company had their annual layoff, he joined the United

States Navy and served through November 1945.

Feeney, along with Joe Pinson and Besser Company, founded the Besser

Credit Union. Besser Company allocated a small area of the personnel department

to be used as the credit union for a few hours a day. Al Siegert, who at the time

worked in the personnel department, also ran the credit union office.

During his career at Besser he served the community in many ways. In

1968 he was chairman of the Alpena Community College Business and

Industry Scholarship Committee. He was appointed to a five-year term on the

Alpena General Hospital Board of Directors, and was also elected president

of the Northern Michigan Personnel Association.

He has two sons currently employed by Besser Company: Jim is

director of corporate purchasing and Mark is a technician in the heat

treat department.

BESSER PRODUCT LINE EXPANSIONOnce Jim Park became CEO, like his father he wanted to do

something for the employees of the company. As business became

profitable, he reinstated the tradition of company picnics. In

addition, he wanted to show employees appreciation for their years

of service. In 1989, Besser began awarding retirees with Accutron

wristwatches engraved with their name and years of service. To date

over 200 watches have been presented.

One of the new trends taking place in the concrete products

industry was the buying up of small family owned block plants by

large overseas corporations. Jim took a keen interest in learning who

the new owners were and had this information collected in a wealth

of organizational charts for reference.

One of the many necktiesworn by Besser salesrepresentatives and given atthe national conventioneach year, this tie —inBesser blue and yellow—features little block.

53

NEW WORLD HEADQUARTERS BUILDINGThe new Besser World Headquarters building was dedicated on 15 August

1986. The 24,000 square foot building utilizes concrete masonry units in innovative

and striking ways, and provides an attractive, comfortable place for people to use their

creative talents to improve the concrete products industry. This improvement allowed

19,000 square feet of previous office space to now be utilized as manufacturing space.

The cornerstone wasplaced by Jim Park

and John Heslip,NCMA president.

Many styles of concrete masonry units combine with other materialsto create an attractive facility.

Flags of all the countries whereBesser equipment operate decoratethe atrium.

54

ALFRED KARLNENSEWITZ

Born and raised in Alpena, Alfred was

known to his friends as “Karl”. He graduated from

Alpena High School in 1941 and immediately started at

Besser as a milling machine operator that June. In 1942, he

left to join the Navy for four years. Karl returned in 1946, and

over the next three years he worked his way up to engineering

development—tile machines, at Plant #3 (situated near the cement

plant which today is Lafarge; Plants #1 and #2, located on

US-23 South, made parts for Besser equipment).

In 1951, Karl became manager of Plant #3, manufacturing the

Besser roof tile machine, the pallet cleaning machine and numerous small parts

for Besser machinery.

Four years later, Karl became director of the Besser School for blockmakers

and block users. Karl recalled one of the highlights of his Besser career was when

Jesse Besser handed him a check for one million dollars to be delivered to Russell

Wilson, superintendent of Alpena Public Schools, for the building of the Besser

Technical Center. Karl was also actively involved in the design of that building.

Moving up to the position of Besser Technical Center manager, he spoke at

NCMA meetings as well as to state and local associations on the proper

manufacturing and use of concrete masonry. He also served on technical

committees of NCMA, ASTM, ACI and others.

In March 1965, he was appointed service manager. At the same time, Jack

Mitchell was made sales manager, Earl Fraser advertising manager and Lucas

Pfeiffenberger became manager of Besser Technical Center. More changes

came in December 1976 when Karl was appointed sales manager, Mitchell

was made distribution manager, Phil Park was chairman of the board, Jim

Park, president and “Woody” Woodruff was senior vice-president.

Karl held his commercial pilot’s license, so in addition to his

regular Besser job, he did some substitute co-pilot flying on

Bes-Air. His last title with Besser was director of engineering

when he retired July 1980.

Besser Company picnics that Jim Park reinstated.Top photo, 1992, photo above 1995.

Besser Company 1991 management staff. Left to right: Cal Maynard,Dennis Rabeau, Ed Hickok, Stan Mazany, Jere Doyle, Walt Johnson,Mike Kelly, Jim Arbuckle, Jim Park, Kevin Curtis, Jeff Wallace, Tom Saltsand Steve Malek.

55

JIM PARK ACHIEVEMENTSAs CEO of Besser Company, Jim continued to see the Besser Family of

Companies grow. Appco, in San Antonio, Texas, specializing in designing and

manufacturing aggregate handling equipment, became part of the Besser family in

1988. In 1994 Besser Baker opened a plant in Oscoda, Michigan at the former U.S.

Air Force base to manufacture electrical panels under the name Oscoda Engineering

and Manufacturing (OEM). The secrets to success in all of these combinations, in

addition to the synergy of equipment and common customer base, were the Besser team

of key managers at each location. Between three and twelve key managers received

stock or equity in the parent company Besser Company. This technique provided an

incentive for those managers at each location to lead the growth in sales and earnings

due to the potential for growth in value of the individual’s stock.

As the use of concrete paving stone began to grow, Besser management saw the

need to offer a German-style paving stone machine. In order to supply this to the

marketplace, the company joined forces with a bankrupt German paving stone

equipment manufacturer in Lauffen Am Neckar. Much time and effort went into

attempting to make machinery in a not very business-friendly situation of high wages,

short working hours and difficult facilities. After a few years, management realized the

venture was not in the best interest of Besser customers and employees and steps were

taken to discontinue the relationship.

In April 1995, Besser combined forces with Lithibar-Matik in

Holland, Michigan, a major manufacturer of cubers and related equipment.

Besser also combined forces with Proneq located in Montreal, Quebec,

Canada in March 1995. Proneq designs and manufactures specialty molds

and components. A major step forward occurred in June 1998 when

International Pipe Machinery Corporation of Sioux City and Quinn of

Boone, Iowa, merged with Besser. The most recent addition to the Besser

family in 2001, was Concrete Mold Components (CMC) of Compton,

California, producers of high-quality, dimensionally precise molds for

concrete products.

Jim Park with Besser agent Tad Kashiwa sign an order withKokasaku Block Company, the Enomoto brothers in Kangawa,Japan.

Posing in front of masonry high-rise buildings are: Jim Park, CarlosTauil and Gilberto Glasser in San Paulo, Brazil.

56

SIOUX CITY AND BOONEOPERATIONS

Both “McCracken” and “Quinn” are trade names

associated with the concrete pipe and precast products

industry since the early 1900s.

Iowan William McCracken, along with father-son

team C.J. and C.C. Quinn, were pioneers in producing

concrete pipe-making machinery. The Quinns developed

one of the first concrete drain tile machines around 1906

to assist local farmers in irrigating their fields. William

McCracken followed suit with a similar machine in 1909.

In 1916-17 the companies, again acting independently,

began building the first packerhead pipe machines,

thereby introducing a productive and economical method

for making concrete pipe for use in storm and sanitary

sewers as well as irrigation projects.

International Pipe Machinery Corp. had its origins

in the early 1980s. This was accomplished through the

acquisition of the assets of Concrete Pipe Machinery

Company of Sioux City, Iowa in 1983; the assets of

JAMES E. ARBUCKLEJames E. Arbuckle earned his

associates degree at Alpena Community College

in 1959, and in 1962 he graduated from Wayne

State University with a bachelor of arts degree in

business administration, majoring in accounting. He worked

for a CPA firm in Detroit, Baditor and Segroves, and then

returned to Alpena in 1967 as senior accountant for Reitz and

LaFleche, a CPA firm.

Jim came to Besser Company in July 1967. He started as

controller under the direction of treasurer Don Hampton and eventually

became chief financial officer for Besser operations worldwide. He was

elected to the Besser Board of Directors in 1984 and served as vice-

chairman, executive vice president and president.

He was instrumental in the merging of resources with several

manufacturing sites that became part of the Besser family at that time. They

are Roanoke Industries in Illinois; Besser Canada Ltd. in Toronto; Appco in

Texas, Lithibar-Matik in Holland, Michigan; Proneq in Montreal; Concrete

Mold Components in California and International Pipe Machinery

Corporation in Iowa.

He was a driving force and very active in many community

organizations, including the Alpena Community College Foundation, Rotary

Club of Alpena (past president), the Alpena General Hospital Board, the

Jesse Besser Museum Board and the Besser Chorus, of which he is the

current director. Jim is also an active member of the First Presbyterian

Church. Jim retired from Besser Company in November 2003.

Early McCrackenModel E pipe machine

producing bell downconcrete pipe.

57

Quinn Foundry and Machine Division of Zeidlers, Inc., of

Boone, Iowa in 1985; and the assets of Hydrotile Machinery

Co., Nashua, Iowa in 1991.

In July of 1998, International Pipe Machinery Corp. joined

forces with Besser Company. Since the process of moving

aggregate, sand, cement and water to form concrete pipe was so

similar to the process of making concrete block, it was natural that

the pipe machinery fit in the Besser product line.

At the Sioux City location, the emphasis is on the

manufacture of concrete pipe-making machinery, including

Bidirectional (pipe machines equipped with the patented

Bidirectional Rollerhead System), packerhead and vibration

machinery for the production of concrete pipe in diameters from

4" through 156" (100 mm - 4000 mm). This location also

supplies associated equipment such as pipe testers, mixers, cage

expanders, and offbearing systems plus spare and wearing parts.

The staff can also provide engineering and technical assistance for

the establishment of a complete concrete pipe-making facility

anywhere in the world.

Other key products include VIBRO-MAC and

HYDROPAK dry cast machines, which are versatile, high

production systems to produce a wide variety of shapes, sizes and

types of concrete products. Vibrating table systems are also

marketed to make unlimited precast product shapes.

The location boasts a fully equipped machine and fabrication

shop, which is also used for contract fabrication and machining

work. In addition, they produce pavement profile readers to

measure highway smoothness and ride-ability.

In 1993, a research and development facility was built for

research and testing of pipe and products equipment. This

building has its own mixing and batching capabilities, and is the

only facility of its kind in North America.

This Sioux City company has been

exporting since 1926. Prior to becoming

International Pipe Machinery Corp.

(IPMC) the company received an “E”

Award in 1965 and an “E” Star Award

in 1970. After becoming IPMC, this

location received the President’s “E”

Award for excellence in exporting in 1993.Rings manufactured at Besser inBoone, Iowa.

Job site view of a large-bore concrete pipeline in an

open trench installation.

McCracken Model R pipe machine dating from the 1950s being fed by a mixer and drag linkconveyor.

58

At the Boone location, emphasis is placed on

manufacturing rugged, durable wet cast and machine form

equipment for precasters and pipe producers. Wet cast forms

can produce virtually any size or shape of product, and they

can be custom-made to meet producer specifications. Typical

of the Boone line are forms for flared-end sections, manhole

products, catch basins, grade rings and utility boxes.

Boone operates a modern foundry. With a large

inventory of patterns and a complete pattern shop, Boone can

offer shapes for most joint designs used in the industry today.

In addition to caps and pallets for pipe and precast use, the

foundry also specializes in commercial contract castings for a

variety of job applications. The Boone shop is equipped to

machine castings up to 200" (5100 mm) in diameter,

including such shapes as round, arch and elliptical. An in-

house metal laboratory assures product quality.

AWARDSJim Park received three of the highest awards a citizen

of Alpena can garner. In 1999 the Alpena Chamber of

Commerce chose him as Alpena Citizen of the Year. The

inscription on the plaque reads, “For doing things that

others would not do, could not do, or didn’t find the time to

do to make our community a better place to live.” As of

2004, he is one of only eighteen residents to receive this

award for continued contributions to the community.

Jim was inducted into the Alpena High School

Alumni Hall of Fame in October 2003. This award

recognizes Alpena High alumni who have attained

excellence in the career of their choice. The past nine

recipients included a bishop, an actor, a basketball coach,

a general in the Air Force and several prominent business

people. Jim was recognized as having been a campus

leader in scholarship, clubs and sports while in high school

The commitment to safety is strong throughout the company. Here employees at the Sioux Citylocation pose proudly in front of the sign proclaiming their incredible safety record.

The foundry in Boone, Iowa, has been pouring castings for the concrete pipe and precast industriessince 1907.

59

formation of Thunder Bay Recreation Center, a multipurpose facility for tennis, fitness

training, basketball, volleyball and more, which opened in August 1999. In 2003, the

Northern Lights Ice Arena opened adjoining the Thunder Bay Recreation Center.

and at the University of Michigan, and for proceeding to a

successful business career, taking the corporate

headquarters of Besser to international prominence.

Earlier, Jim was inducted into the Alpena Sports

Hall of Fame in 1995. The group recognizes athletes

who have excelled locally and statewide in their particular

sport.

Jim joins the following former Besser employees in

the Hall of Fame: John “Wes” Craighead, Alvin Kelly,

Tom DeCaire, Bob Rohn, Ray LaCross, Don Scheulke,

John “Biff” Stepaniak, Joe Gapczynski, Cam Jury, Harry

“Hi” Bott, Robert “Bob” Hastie and a newcomer in

2004, Claude Nensewitz. Al Henderson, Tom DeCaire

and George Stevens who are Besser retirees have been

honored by the Alpena Sports Hall of Fame for their

continuous support of athletics with time and effort in the

community.

Jim was selected based on his lifelong interest in

several sports. While in high school he lettered in four

sports and continued in both basketball and football at the

University of Michigan until an injury shortened his

career there. His love of tennis led him to continue

playing to a mature age, and with a good doubles partner,

he won the city championship in 1987 and 1988, plus a

bronze medal at the Senior Olympics in Baton Rouge,

Louisiana in 2001.

In addition to his personal athletic accomplishments,

Jim has been a proponent and financial supporter of local

institutions, including sports facilities. For example, when

Alpena Community College made a significant campus

addition, the Park Recreation Fund was instrumental in

financing the field house which is used for sports events

and graduations. This facility was named “Park Arena”

in honor of the Park family. He was also key in theJim developed his love of footballat a young age.

Sports Hall ofFame plaque.

Park family in Mexico. Back, left to right: Patricia Gardner, Bradley Gardner, Jim Park, JerryGardner, Susan Krausen, Tony Krausen. Front: Ida Gardner, Anita Gardner, Allison Krausen.

60

The idea for this community events

center with two sheets of ice was born in

1993 when Jim helped inspire a group

headed by Tom VanMassenhove to

raise funds for construction. Directly

next to the community events center and

recreation center, Jim also made sure that property was made available on

which DeVere Construction developed several soccer fields in memory of

Hazel Crittenden, wife of Bruce “Red” Crittenden, founder of the successful

DeVere Construction Company in Alpena.

THE WORLD CENTER FOR CONCRETETECHNOLOGY

In 1984, the American Association of Community and Junior

Colleges recognized the Blockmakers Workshops® program with a

Community College/Industry Partnership Award, accepted by the

presidents of both Alpena Community College (ACC) and Besser

Company, Dr. Charles Donnelly and Jim Park. The award

addressed not only the innovation involved in offering the classes,

but also the excellent cooperation apparent between education and

industry.

August 2000 heralded the ribbon-cutting for the

World Center for Concrete Technology (WCCT), an $8

million research and educational facility located in Harris

Hall on the ACC campus. This facility was built as a

result of the partnerships between Besser and other

concrete and concrete products industries, the State of

Michigan, U.S. Department of Commerce EDA, U.S.

Department of Agriculture and Alpena Community

College.

The 42,360 sq. ft. concrete masonry building

contains classrooms, a computer lab, a testing facility and a fully

operational Besser-equipped concrete products production plant.

Pipe Production Schools were recently added to WCCT’s lineup

to better address a wider scope of needs.

The mission of the WCCT is ambitious: “To meet the current

and future challenges of the concrete and concrete related

industries.” Having a resource completely dedicated to this pursuit

is an exciting competitive edge for the entire global industry.

In keeping with this vision, the Partners Council, an advisory

group of industry leaders, was established to provide insight and

expertise regarding the ever-changing needs of the industry to

ensure the WCCT remains on the cutting edge. Current members

of the Partners Council represent the following organizations:

Alpena Community College, Besser Company, LafargeNorthern Lights Ice Arena

Detail of Thunder Bay Recreation Center driveway.

61

Corporation, W.R. Grace, Rinker Materials Corporation,

Master Builders and Oldcastle Architectural.

In 2003, Jim Hayford retired from his position as the

facility’s first executive director, and Bob Eller and Eric

Krebs, long-time instructors in the concrete industry,

stepped into a shared leadership position to further expand

the services of the WCCT. This will be accomplished by

continuing to increase class and service offerings to various

segments of the concrete industry, with a continuing focus

on what has made the WCCT so unique: the ability to

apply classroom learning with hands-on

lab and plant experience. As one recent

graduate of the Concrete Masonry

Technology (CMT) session phrased it,

“CMT is a unique combination of

theoretical and practical applications—I

have never seen anything like it!”

Bob and Eric are also keeping with

the Jesse Besser original tenets for

teaching, that to strengthen the industry

the producers must be stronger, work

In February 1993, the first Master Blockmakers® plaquewas awarded. Pictured left to right: Jim Park, BesserCEO; Victor Funk, Amcon Block & Precast, Inc., St.Cloud, Minnesota; and Dr. Donald Newport, formerpresident, Alpena Community College. Five out of the nineBlockmakers Workshops® courses must be completed inorder to earn this recognition.

smarter and provide the science behind the production. Plus, with the advent of

higher technology that allows a higher quality and a wider variety of products to be

produced, producers must be able to meet challenges before they are presented. So,

continuously examining and updating course offerings is absolutely essential. As

one Workshop graduate stated, “When you’re running an older machine, you tend

to do things the old way. I’ve learned quicker, easier and safer ways to do things in

this class. It was awesome!”

Students work in the lab at the WCCT.

62

Kevin L. Curtis

63

Armed with the field perspective, Kevin came to

Alpena as national sales manager in 1985. Once based

in Alpena, Kevin was coached by Jim Park on the

importance of consistency, continuous improvement and a

focus on excellence. In 1993, he became vice president of

sales and marketing, giving him responsibility for both

national and international markets. He gained valuable

customer insights through his extensive travels in Russia,

China, India and South America. In 1999 he was

appointed president of Besser Company, and was elected

to Besser Board of Directors in October 2003.

Under Kevin’s leadership, the desire to excel as the

industry’s preferred supplier of innovative equipment

solutions, valuable services and excellent customer service

intensified. In 2001 the transition from the Besser Family

of Companies to a single company, Besser, began.

During 2001 the names Appco, CMC, Lithibar,

International Pipe Machinery, Proneq and Quinn started

to disappear in the marketplace and the comprehensive

product line was marketed as Besser. This timeframe also

brought about a shift in management style; management

by function was adopted to leverage the talents of Besser

staff at all locations throughout the organization.

The Business Leadership Team was formed and given the responsibility to

identify and integrate best practices, eliminate redundancies and maximize effectiveness

and value to customers. At the same time four core company goals were identified:

Innovative Products, Customer Satisfaction, Process Improvement and Financial

Stability. Kevin has helped the company remain steadfastly focused on these goals.

The equipment and services introduced over the past several years are examples of

the innovative products goal. The Advantage Series BiDi, EM Mixer, Vision 2 Pipe

Machine Automation, Model MS-13 Besser-Matic, LSC-75 Rack Transporter

Systems, new style utility box forms, the combination semi- and fully automatic cuber,

and annual service agreements are all products that help producers in all industries

Besser serves manufacture more efficiently.

The ability to provide “turnkey” service for the concrete productsindustry was made possible with the formation of Besser/DeVere in1998. The primary benefit lies in a single source being responsiblefor the completion of the entire project, from equipment layout andbuilding/site design to equipment installation and start-up. Thejoint venture Besser/DeVere handles project from conception tocompletion, provides project management and other expertisedepending on the needs of each unique project.

Pictured left to right, at the grand opening of a turnkey plant inColfax, North Carolina in 1999: Jim Krueger, Mike Hadley andKevin Curtis of Besser Company; Tom Long and Terry Young ofRMC Carolina Materials; Eric Larson and Don Denomme ofDeVere Construction and Jeff Wallace of Besser Company.

Rapport Leadership TrainingKevin embarked on a unique leadership journey atthe invitation of Dave and Carol Orton (partnerswith Lonnie and Jane Hanson, one of Kevin’s firstMinnesota customers). The experience dramatically

changed how he lives his life. Rapport Leadership courses areunlike typical training in that they “boldly stand as a powerfulsource for creative change.” The spirited training team is focusedon developing leaders and building synergistic partnerships bydelivering dynamic performance-based training and coaching withpassion, conviction, courage, and integrity. Graduates live by themotto, “JFDI,” which means Just Focus and Do It. It was afterthis training that the management style at Besser shifted from atypical top-down approach to management by function.The company believes so strongly in the merits of this trainingthat the number of Besser attendees continues to grow.

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Each employee is involved with customer satisfaction and is aware of its incredible

importance. Making Besser a better partner to producers is a goal that the staff is

committed to for the next 100 years.

The dedication Besser has to the dynamic associations that support the concrete

products industry is unmatched. Beyond financial support, the Besser staff serve on

committees and lend their expertise where needed. By exhibiting at the Manufactured

Concrete Products Expo, the annual trade show sponsored by the American Concrete

Pipe Association, the Interlocking Concrete Paver Institute, the National Concrete

Masonry Association and the National Precast Concrete Association, Besser is

supporting the mission of each association while benefiting from a targeted audience

interested in producing quality concrete masonry, pavers, retaining wall units, precast

and pipe. Besser places tremendous value on the marketing program, especially in the

field and the unique opportunities that trade shows provide.

Process improvement is another goal. Besser has adopted “Lean” principles to

guide efforts. “Lean” simply means is to follow the most timely, cost-effective and

simple way to get work done and to make sure that the right parts are available when

customers need them. It means allowing the people closest to the job at hand to make

decisions regarding work. Besser staff is just getting started on this company-wide effort

which will continue to improve customer service.

The key to reaching these goals is financial stability reached through a disciplined

approach to managing financial resources. Leveraging buying power, streamlining

processes, providing capital equipment financing options and investing wisely are just a

few of the areas receiving attention.

Kevin is passionate about the company, customers and the industries that Besser is

privileged to serve. Beyond his allegiance to Besser, Kevin has served on the Alpena

Community College Technology Advisory Board, is a member of many National

Concrete Masonry Association committees and is a director of Besser manufacturing

sites located in Alpena, Sioux City, Holland and California. He serves as a member of

the partners council of the World Center for Concrete Technology. Locally, he is an

avid supporter of hockey, and has been treasurer of the Blue Line Club for many years.

Kevin resides in Alpena with his wife Paula. They enjoy outdoor activities with

their two yellow Labrador Retrievers, Amber and Ruby. Their son Cory is a married

attorney practicing in Colorado, while their son Alan is a graduate of Western

Michigan University, doing his postgraduate work in archeology.

2004 MANAGEMENT TEAMIn the 1960s, the innovative move to elect outside

directors encouraged the company to develop and hire

professional managers. Professional executives, some

developed internally and others who have already proven

themselves in external careers, now manage Besser

Company.

Today, leading Besser under the banner of one

company are functional leaders for all manufacturing sites,

and they are: manufacturing, Brock N. Mahler;

engineering, Tim C. Farley; marketing, Jeff J. Wallace;

personnel, Joe A. Cercone; finance, Juli S. Musch;

purchasing, James A. Krueger; and communications,

Terri B. Rondeau.

Business team leaders (clockwise from top): Joe Cercone, TimFarley, Jeff Wallace, Kevin Curtis, Jim Park, Juli Musch, TerriRondeau, Brock Mahler and Jim Krueger.

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LOOKING AHEADCompanies attaining 100 years in business will continue to

survive as long as people with foresight are encouraged andpromoted, product niches are discovered, and the productitself has added value to stay competitive in the market.

Besser employees took the company from vanishinglumbering industry to a newly developing industry of concreteblock. Besser has expanded its focus, including a broad rangeof concrete products such as pipe, pavers, retaining wall unitsand precast. In the next century, Besser—with its strongleadership and foresight—will extend its legacy of recognizingdeveloping opportunities and emerging markets.

As Besser Company celebrates its 100th Anniversary in 2004, the key staff

members of the policy team are the Besser Board of Directors: James C. Park, chairman

and CEO; Kevin L. Curtis, president; and the four outside directors: George Kuehn,

principal, Law Firm of Butzel Long, Detroit, Michigan; Richard A. Lund, president,

Jedco, Inc., Grand Rapids, Michigan; Richard W. Muzzy, Jr., president and CEO,

The Holland Group, Holland, Michigan; Kimberly A. Park (daughter of Jim Park),

vice president, Managed Care Marketing, Merck & Co., Inc., West Point, Pennsylvania.

Operations managers for Besser manufacturing

locations in 2004 are: Rene L. Bergeron, Montreal,

Canada; Jon C. Dannenberg, Boone and Sioux City,

Iowa; Larry M. Dutkiewicz, Holland, Michigan; Bradley

L. Gardner (the only other family member employed at

Besser and son of Patricia Park Gardner), Compton,

California; Gary P. Stevens, Alpena, Michigan; Thomas

J. Tullis, Boone, Iowa; and Ronald J. Walchek, San

Antonio, Texas.

Top row, left to right: Rene Bergeron,Jon Dannenberg.Middle row, left to right: Larry Dutkiewicz,Bradley Gardner.Bottom row, left to right: Gary Stevens, Thomas Tullis,Ronald Walchek.

2004 Board of Directors.Front, left to right: Kevin Curtis,Jim Park, Back row, left to right:

George Kuehn, Kimberly Park,Richard Muzzy, Jr. and

Richard Lund.

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